At 10am, a bell rings out across Borough Market.
asserted
bell → ring → Market
It’s a member of staff at Bread Ahead enthusiastically shaking a brass handbell to signify the stall’s fresh doughnuts are ready for sale.
asserted
doughnuts → ’ → sale
A crowd has already gathered to be first in the queue for the bakery’s raspberry jam, vanilla custard and crème brûlée treats.
asserted
crowd → gather → jam
On a typical day, the stand will shift 4,000 doughnuts and 1,000 pastries.
asserted
stand → shift → doughnuts
From its humble beginnings in the Southwark gastronomic citadel 13 years ago, Bread Ahead has grown into a sizeable business.
asserted
Ahead → grow → business
Its turnover runs into many millions and there are now seven branches across London along with three overseas, in Bangkok, Riyadh and Dubai.
asserted
turnover → run → Bangkok
Baking classes are held at some branches, including Borough.
asserted
classes → hold → Borough
In all, Bread Ahead employs 83 full-time staff.
asserted
Ahead → employ → staff
Its bakery school upstairs at Borough hosts “500 to 600” local schoolchildren each week, who come to learn to make bread and doughnuts.
asserted
who → host → bread
The general public and corporate parties also attend its workshops.
asserted
public → attend → workshops
Matthew Jones, the founder and owner, says the Big Apple is next.
asserted
Apple → say → ?
“It’s all self-funded and it’s six months late and over budget but New York opens mid-November,” he says, smiling.
asserted
he → ’ → budget
Jones, 56, cuts a relaxed figure, trim and bearded, wearing a branded black baseball cap and T-shirt as he tours the market and his premises.
asserted
he → cut → market
Dubbed the “King of Doughnuts”, he is personable, a natural charmer and showman who stops to greet fellow stall-holders and welcome customers.
asserted
who → dub → customers
But it’s uncertain how much longer he’ll be here — because Bread Ahead has not had its lease renewed.
asserted
lease → ’ → ?
It has been told it is “too successful” and has grown too much internationally to occupy space at the artisanal market.
asserted
it → tell → market
Jones left school at 15 in Sevenoaks, Kent, and got a job in the kitchen of a local restaurant.
asserted
Jones → leave → restaurant
“I loved everything about it — the uniform, atmosphere, attitude, service, the freshness, chasing Michelin stars,” he says.
asserted
he → love → stars
From there, he worked at a rollcall of top London restaurants — among them Quaglino’s, Le Pont de la Tour and Bibendum, before ending up as head pastry chef at Mezzo.
asserted
he → work → Mezzo
He learned from Shaun Hill, John Torode, Simon Hopkinson and Sir Terence Conran.
asserted
He → learn → Hill
In 1999, Jones opened Flour Power City Bakery in Hoxton.
asserted
Jones → open → Hoxton
It grew quickly, soon adding another outlet in Kent.
asserted
It → grow → Kent
Over the next 12 years, Flour Power built up a reputation for excellence and was featured in the press and on TV.
asserted
Power → build → TV
Jones obtained funding from serial hospitality investor and entrepreneur Luke Johnson.
asserted
Jones → obtain → Johnson
But the pair pulled in different directions — Johnson went on to grow Gail’s, where he is still part-owner — and they split.
asserted
they → pull → Gail
They are still on friendly terms; they bumped into each other recently and, Jones says, had a good chat.
asserted
they → bump → chat
But he was, by his own admission, left “messed up” — in a bad place, financially and mentally.
asserted
he → leave → place
However, during that period with Flour Power, he had developed close relations with Borough Market.
asserted
he → develop → Market
Flour Power had a site there, although in 2011 it, too, was asked to quit, along with several other traders which were deemed too large and non-independent.
asserted
which → have → traders
As one lot departed, a new crop entered, among them a revitalised Jones with his new venture, Bread Ahead.
asserted
crop → depart → venture
He had decided to rejoin the trade he adored and to try again.
asserted
he → decide → trade
The queues formed straightaway and, 13 years on, have never disappeared.
asserted
queues → form → ?
“We could not believe it”
uncertain
We → believe → it
Matthew Jones
Jones was approached by the market, which is run by a charitable trust, six months ago to say his lease was due for renewal and it wished to conduct a “food policy review”.
asserted
it → approach → review
This looked at everything to do with sustainability, sourcing and whether the company obeyed regulatory requirements such as paying the minimum wage.
asserted
company → look → wage
Read More
“I felt they were on our side,” he says.
asserted
he → read → side
“It took six months to go through it all.
asserted
It → take → it
Then, we were called to a ‘final meeting’ in their office.
asserted
we → call → office
They told us straight, ‘We will not be renewing your lease.’
asserted
We → tell → lease
We could not believe it.
uncertain
We → believe → it
…and 45 more, not listed.
The Aporia
