As the Marketing Director of Hobbs House Bakery and a member of the renowned Hobbs baking family, Anna Herbert knows a thing or two about crafting the perfect loaf. You may remember her husband, Tom Herbert as one half of the popular Fabulous Baker Brothers TV show back in 2012, where baking was not just a business but a family passion.
With The Great British Bake Off on the horizon, we sat down with Anna to chat about all things bread — from the importance of quality ingredients to hosting unforgettable gatherings. In this Q&A, Anna shares her thoughts on sharing recipes, kitchen organisation, and how baking can bring people together.
Join us as we dive into the delicious world of baking, and get ready for some inspiring tips to elevate your own kitchen game!
Can you tell us a bit about your background in baking?
I married into a baking family, and as a child, I had always enjoyed cooking and baking and still do it at home to this day. The advantage now is having two bakers at home to sort out my baking disasters. As a family, our son is a sixth-generation baker, and we have been baking at Hobbs House Bakery for over one hundred years.
How would you describe your own home and kitchen/dining style?
We built our kitchen to be the heart of our home, a place that can host a party and be filled with family and friends. It’s a place to create feasts from but often has layers of family chaos that need to be cleared away first. At the centre of it, we used an old family heirloom, a bakery dough table which acts as an island alongside simple, painted cupboards.
What’s the secret to a well-organised kitchen?
Original Rustic dresser | Sherwood dining table
My mother-in-law has always sworn by a floor-to-ceiling cupboard. Our main kitchen storage is full height with sliding doors that can be closed off to give the impression of a well-organised kitchen.
Why are family and friend dining get-togethers so important?
We love being with people, and what better way to have good conversations than over great food? I love it when we have unexpected guests and an empty fridge, we always have bread so just sitting together and sharing hot buttered toast and fresh coffee, feels like true companionship.
Tell us some of the current trends in baking…
There’s a newfound love for Pastries, which are gaining a lot of interest in our shops and an ever-growing following on Instagram. We sell our pastries both fresh and frozen; just let them rise overnight and bake them in the morning, filling your home with the smell of freshly baked pastries (they even bake well in an air fryer!).
What’s your favourite thing to make?
I love baking our cinnamon rolls, you can bake five together in a tin to create a tear and share treat for friends and family. I also enjoy making pastry, so tarts of any type, savoury or sweet.
Given the strong sandwich culture in the UK, what’s your favourite filling and with which type of bread?
You can’t beat an egg sandwich, I love them when the eggs are still warm, with lashings of mayo and watercress. I had a delicious one recently that had some lightly pickled red onions in it, though capers would be a great addition too. While I love wholemeal and rye bread, I think our seeded spelt makes the best egg sandwich — it would definitely need to be buttered too.
What’s the best baking recipe you can share?
Definitely our sourdough bread recipe; we have always shared this special recipe over the years to allow people to enjoy freshly baked bread in their homes. This creates an appreciation for real bread.
With your wealth of sourdough experience, what are your top tips?
Start with a good sourdough starter, ours is a dark rye that has been fed for 69 YEARS! It’s reliable and consistent. Get the best flour you can. If it doesn’t work the first time, try again. Tweak and change but just one thing at a time so you understand what difference it makes.
For any keen novices, how would you recommend getting started with baking?
Soda bread is one of the simplest bakes to create at home, with a fresh loaf out of the oven in less than half an hour. If that still feels overwhelming, sign up to one of our baking courses where we can introduce you to breadmaking.
Besides Hobbs House Bakery, where are your favourite places to eat?
We love eating out, trying new places and visiting our wholesale customers who use and sell our bread.
My husband, Tom Herbert, runs The Long Table in Stroud, which is another of my favourites. We often head into Bristol because there are so many unique places to choose from. Locally, we tend to go out for coffee, as there are plenty of brilliant spots in and around Nailsworth (Gloucestershire).
Which Oak Furnitureland items would enhance your kitchen/diner the most?
At the moment we have a piano in our kitchen, which our older children have finally taken an interest in. One day, I hope to use that space to display beautiful items again and hide some of the chaos. The large Henley dresser would be ideal for organising this space.
As Anna reminds us, baking brings people together, and with her tips, you’re well on your way to elevating your own baking. To explore more about Hobbs House Bakery, their recipes, and shop their delicious breads, visit Hobbs House Bakery and bring the bakery magic into your kitchen.
