Here at CommunityAd magazine we absolutely love local businesses and in the last eighteen months it’s been horrifying to see some of our beloved businesses take a hit. What the government deemed as non-essential businesses we know are absolutely essential to our thriving community’s wellbeing. What we have loved over the last eighteen months or so though is the rise of lockdown entrepreneurs like Terry Goh, or you might know him as the Doorstep Baker.
Having called Tunbridge Wells home for nearly 20 years Terry speaks highly of the town and the townspeople, “the people are super friendly and there are a lot of excellent local places to visit like the Pantiles. And we do have some super events like the Local and Live which is superbly organised by Paul Dunton and Jazz evenings. What a great place to live”.
CommunityAd can’t disagree with that one bit and it has been a great place to live lately in part due to Terry’s new business venture. The Doorstep Baker business is a product of lockdown, and all began as he braved the shops for some sausage rolls and his favourite farmhouse loaf. After an hour and a half of queuing Terry made it into the bakery only to discover to his horror that his farmhouse loaf was sold out. “I just thought, how brilliant it would be if I can order the bread online a few days before and have it delivered to my doorstep. I searched for that service and no such service was available for freshly baked bread from local bakeries. There were the food box providers and you have to spend a huge minimum value with them before they will deliver to you”.
Terry worked alongside his son who is a great designer in developing a website and conducting plenty of market research. Terry confesses he owes “a great gratitude to Smith’s Bakery, Village Bakery in Groombridge and Plaxtol Village Bakery who have such tasty breads and pastries and who are so supportive”. The reviews of the service speak volumes about the kind of business that Tunbridge Wells has been blessed with and for Terry and his son “It was great that we could provide value to the community” during a time of real need.
It’s apparent that local produce is at the absolute heart of the Doorstep Baker, we’re so blessed here in Kent with fine produce, aren’t we?
Oh yes, so many award-winning products of all sorts from cheese to beer. And so many other small batch producers who are so popular and highly regarded by customers using locally farmed sustainable organic free-range ingredients, such as Naked and Ready foods who make delicious pate, hummus, sausage rolls, pork pies and Scotch eggs. In fact, eight flavours of Scotch eggs from Black Pudding to the highly popular vegetarian Sweet Potato and Pea Curry Scotch Eggs using free range locally farmed produce, so keeping it all in Tunbridge Wells and surrounding areas.
What would you like to tell readers about the importance of shopping local and supporting markets and farmers markets in the coming months?
Shopping local is so important. To the customer they have extra fresh, locally produced products, straight from producer to customer without having to travel hundreds of miles. For the community, this means that more and more talented chefs can get to share their recipes with customers and bring their craft to the lucky residents of Tunbridge Wells. And if we support them by buying their foods, then they will grow and employ local people and take up local premises and so forth creating a buzz for Tunbridge Wells.
This is super important in particular now that many chain shops have abandoned Tunbridge Wells and left unsightly empty buildings in the heart of town. For instance, Pantiles Market and the market stall run by Naked and Ready Foods on the Victoria Centre precinct are the highlights of a town centre full of abandoned shops.