With one episode left to go, the Channel 4 documentary A Lake District Farm Shop has been a huge hit.
In fact, episode one, in which More? was featured, drew 1.8 million viewers – more than the number of tennis fans watching Wimbledon on BBC2 at the same time.
If you haven’t seen it, the programme is about Cumbria’s Tebay Services and its suppliers. More? has been baking sourdough loaves and other slow-fermented breads for the service station for 14 years.
For those of us in the know, the viewing figures prove that the rest of the country is cottoning on to how wonderful it is to live, work and make food in this county.
We’re all guilty of taking our home for granted but we were chuffed that our founder and head baker, Patrick, was able to tell viewers about the importance of the landscape in what we do and how our baking is inspired by water from the lakes, wheat from the fields and salt from the sea.
Patrick was filmed tackling Kirkstone Pass on his bike but what you won’t have seen was that he had to do it three or four times for the cameras. The film crew were with us for a couple of days and it was great to share what we do with them.
Although Patrick was the main person seen on screen, behind the scenes are hard-working colleagues who bake bread, cook delicious hot food, make rolls, serve in the shop and the café and create fantastic More? Dough sourdough pizzas.
As Patrick says: “There’s 34 people now who are all irreplaceable and significant in the business. In my opinion, they’re all very deserving of a personal spotlight.”
Next time you visit us at Staveley Mill Yard, you’re welcome to chat to any of the team.
You can catch the last episode on Saturday, July 31 at 8pm, or on demand.