A BUDDING baker says lockdown gave him the impetus to realise his dream.
Gareth Metcalf, from Boldron, had just finished a degree in professional culinary management at Derby when Covid-19 brought everything to a standstill.
He began helping at his father Stuart’s engineering firm, Ellipse Fabrications, to tide him over. To keep his baking skills up to speed in his spare time, he set up a private Facebook group to try out his kitchen creations.
So successful were his efforts that he soon turned a garage unit at his family home and business into a fully fitted professional kitchen.
After registering his home-based business, Food Twisters, with Durham County Council things began to take off. Priding himself on “classic bakes with a modern twist” , Mr Metcalf is now selling his food at a number of events and markets.
The 24-year-old said: “When lockdown hit, I had finished by degree course and thought, ‘what now?” I couldn’t have asked for a worse dice to be thrown at me. I was helping at my dad’s firm and even though I can do that line of work, it wasn’t my passion. Lockdown gave me the push.”
A former Teesdale School student, Mr Metcalf began his journey into baking aged seven, learning from his grandparents. He used his engineering skills to fit out the kitchen himself and his business was recently given a five-star health rating.
“At the moment, I am mostly selling items through Facebook but I’m now doing the table top sale in Barnard Castle Parish Hall and I’m awaiting to hear back from The Bowes Museum’s Christmas market and Bishop Auckland Food Festival,” said Mr Metcalf.
“My stuff isn’t mass produced – it’s all done by hand with pure heart and passion. The first product I started with was my take on the traditional sausage roll. I did a barbecue and herb sausage roll – it has so much flavour and seasoning. It’s like an explosion and it always sells out.”
Other fresh takes on traditional recipes include his quiches.
“There are so many famous sandwiches such as the philly cheesesteak.
“I derided to take all the key elements but not not the bread and use them in a quiche.
“Everyone said it wouldn’t work but it really does,” he said. He says his guinea pigs for his creations are staff at Ellipse Fabrications.
“They’re completely honest with me – if they don’t like something, they’ll tell me,” he said.
