Around Rise Bakery - The joys of delivering cakes in East London!
We do feel lucky sometimes! We're based just off Brick Lane, in East London. We think it's one of the most exciting and vibrant places in the world.
We thought we'd share some snaps taken while delivering our delicious cakes to local cafes last week.
If you'd like to see more of our range, and order a delivery of brownies posted to your door, head to www.risebakery.london
We are surrounded by lots of beautiful fabric shops
Crisis is a brilliant homelessness charity with a cafe which we supply some cakes too, definitely try them out!
When it rains, Spitalfields market is just a stones throw away, for all your undercover shopping needs!
You can find all sorts of lovely things in the many vintage shops down brick lane
Everyone round here has a cool ride...
There are plenty of delicious street food options!
LOTS of vintage shops...
And some other cool stuff like records :)
Some brilliant galleries
A book shop or two...
One of the wonderful businesses we supply too, they also happen to be an extremely very cool independent cinema.
We supply this lovely socent with cakes too!
Some of the earliest social housing in the world is nearby too!
Second Shot Coffee is our new customer and we love them! They employ people affected by homelessness and work with our good friend - the homelessness charity Crisis.
10 Tips for a stress-free kitchen
Some of our staff at Rise bakery working hard in the kitchen
Kitchens can be a busy, stressful place. No wonder all those chefs on TV are always shouting at each other!
At Rise, working with vulnerable adults, we think it's really important for our kitchen to be a safe, happy place. We thought that we'd share some of our wisdom with you!
If you want to learn more about our amazing training programmes for homeless people, or to buy our delicious brownies, head to our main page.
1. Store any sticky or drippy food items such as honey and sauces on an easy to clean surface.
2. Group kitchen objects by purpose, e.g. all baking equipment in one area.
3. Create a cooking area around the oven, where all pots and utensils are in easy reach.
4. Have a roll of sticky labels on hand so you can label and date opened containers of food and keep on top of what’s in your kitchen and when it should be used by!
5. Store opened dry ingredients in strong waterproof containers that fit next to each other easily, ensuring maximum space.
6. Organise knife sharpening in to your weekly/monthly schedule and avoid frustration and possible injury when you’re cooking in a rush and the knives are blunt.
7. Create a recycling section near your general waste bin with draws specifically for different materials, this way recycling will become second nature!
8. Buy some separate colour coded plastic boards for raw and cooked meats, fish and veg to ensure no risk of contamination or food poisoning.
9. Wash out jars after the contents have been used and use again to store nuts, seeds and spices.
10. When chopping vegetables, keep a small bowl on the surface for trimmings, to later be transferred to the bin (or compost).
Fudge and Jelly making in the Rise kitchen
As part of our work at rise we offer training classes to people who have experienced homelessness, it is great to see them grow in confidence and develop their skills in a positive environment.
Recently a group learned how to make fudge and jellies. Jason and William took part in this particular session and as usual our fantastic baker, Simon led the training. Jason was really interested in the science behind fudge and so this became part of the lesson. William is great at remembering each process and is on track to becoming an top baker in no time.
The guys measure out the ingredients
When chatting to the guys Jason explained that he misses playing the guitar. Luckily he has been supported in finding new guitar lessons and hopes to start them soon. As-well as the catering training and work with rise bakery Jason also takes IT classes at Providence Row (our parent charity) and he says that these have been really useful in helping him improve his CV and look for future work. Jason is really interested in nutrition and this fuels his interest in cooking however he says that William is a lot better than him in the pastry section because he has naturally cold hands!
Pouring the fudge in to moulds
On this occasion perhaps we were all chatting too much as the fudge did not go quite as planned. Luckily the jelly worked wonderfully and we have all learnt how to improve our method for next time.
Jason and William working hard
Eva Wong's speed volunteering experience
Thank you Rise Bakery for giving me the opportunity to do something worthwhile with my spare time. It’s great to know I was able to just sign up and help with a particular project.
In my case I chose to assist with marketing your new brownie baking venture. I had the BEST time over the two days! It was great to be able to combine my passion for helping those less fortunate, chatting to like-minded people and of course all the while enjoy the heavenly scent of baked goods.
Brings a smile to my face and others to know there are ways we can help each other, especially when some of us are in a time of need. Keep up the amazing work and I’ll definitely be back to volunteer again soon!
If you're interested in spending an hour or more of your time as a speed volunteer for Rise Bakery or Providence Row, you can get involved via Team London here.
10 Essential Cooking Tricks
Marco our chef, getting creative in the kitchen
1. Peel ginger with a spoon, it’s much quicker and wastes a lot less!
2. Smash garlic hard with the side of a knife first and it will be much easier to peel.
3. Place a piece of parchment paper over the small grater holes before zesting fruit. When you have finished, remove and all the gratings will be collected on the paper.
4. Save Parmesan rinds and already squeezed lemon halves and add to soups, stews and stocks to intensify their flavour.
5. Save the water from chickpea cans and whisk up like you would egg whites. This can be used as a cheap and healthy egg substitute in meringues and bakery products.
6. Extend the lifespan of your fresh herbs by placing them in a container with a damp paper towel.
7. Use an acid such as lemon juice or vinegar to give life to fried vegetables, rich stews and sauces.
8. Pouch eggs in vinegar water and simmer lightly to keep them together.
9. Busy week ahead? Make large batches of soups, stews or curries at the weekend and freeze them in smaller tubs to be heated through when you get home.
10. Only cook pasta in vigorously boiling water to stop it sticking together!
Father's Day Competition 2016
Today we are launching a fantastic COMPETITION in the lead up to Father’s Day that will hopefully get everyone smiling!
How you can win
We would LOVE to hear your very worst ‘dad’ joke! (Dad jokes: very bad jokes created predominately by Dads)
OR for the foodies out there...
We would LOVE you to send in your favourite recipe that reminds you of, or is created by your Dad or an inspirational man in your life! :)
You may apply for both categories but only once for each! Please apply by sending us a message on Facebook or Twitter or replying to the Facebook message about the competition.
The winner of each category will receive one of our incredible BROWNIE BOXES posted to your desk or door!
So get your thinking caps on, you don’t want to miss this!
Check out the rules here
There are several lovely flavours to choose from including beetroot and white chocolate and raspberry!
Relationships and the Virtues of an Egg - Mental Health Awareness Week 16 - Jamil Ahmed
We believe that baking and structured support can both help to improve people's wellbeing. That's why all of our bakery trainees undergo a set 12 week training programme plus the option to work with our Employability, Substance Misuse, and Wellbeing Co-ordinators and to attend their weekly series' of workshops.
This week's blog comes from Jamil - our Wellbeing Co-ordinator at Providence Row
I have been told that eggs are one of the most important, indispensable ingredients in baking. Recipes not calling for eggs are few and far between, and for good reason. Eggs do a multitude of tasks such as bind, emulsify, thicken and help towards setting. They can be used as the base, fillings, and also for adding flavour and colour.
Very few ingredients, if any - can do so much in baking. The egg’s amazing ability to do a multitude of tasks is not the only reason we use them; it’s their propensity to do them all at once.
What’s with all this egg-talk you say? Well…
Mental health has a lot to do with other people as it does with the individual and one of the ways to promote a better mental being is through relationships. It isn’t difficult to see why relationships matter for mental health recovery. They provide support, validation, trust, a nurturing environment and a sense of empowerment. The main ingredient that holds everything together are relationships.
The concept of the family
“Our staff are great at creating an environment where clients can come together, develop social and emotional ties with the view in helping them to begin their process of recovery.”
One of the things that I was acutely aware of was the concept of family and how it is promoted within Rise & Providence Row (our parent charity). It’s done mostly without realising – which demonstrates the sensibilities of the staff as well as the clients that access the services.
There are traditional functions such as food, shelter, security as well as structural features which recognises age, gender, culture, gender, sexual orientation, and spirituality. More importantly the staff are great at creating an environment where clients can come together, develop social and emotional ties with the view in helping them to begin their process of recovery.
You only have to take a trip to the kitchen to see the family at work. Clients coming together, preparing food for others as well learning important life skills – that a problem halved really is a problem shared. And just like families – we understand that sometimes clients outgrow their roles and need something more. So we promote our clients becoming peer-mentors, so that they can give back to others who maybe at the beginning stages of their recovery and wellbeing.
Social context
At providence row we run groups and activities that engage clients to try new things as well rediscover old interests. However, implicit reason is very much about social intelligence. Part of wellbeing and recovery is being comfortable to navigate the complexities of social landscape and that’s what our groups offer. A diverse mix of people come together every day, for five days a week from the morning till close of business – sharing experiences, positive and negative. Much like a microcosm of society. These latent skills developed by the clients have had a profound influence on behaviour and their progression.
As I started with eggs, I shall end with eggs.
Eggs have been used in the past to develop vaccines for chicken and small pox. They are grown in fertile eggs of chickens and then developed into an intervention fit for human use leading to great social benefits. What we do in Providence Row is to provide a nurturing environment through our supportive relationships so that clients begin to lead meaningful lives - with or without eggs.
Take a look at our online store to see the amazing products our homeless trainees help make. Every penny goes towards continuing the top notch support we offer.