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We head to Dorset to tour the cosy kitchen of Honeybun's baker Emma."I love having photos around me- and paintings/images with personal meaning- done by friends & family. There are loads of cushions, blankets- reindeer skin & sheepskin all very tactile."
Tell us about your space?
We have a shared Honeybuns office which is an old portable classroom – but done out with proper vintage finds. Including a royal shelf of old coronation mugs. This tends to be quite buzzy & high energy. I also work in an office- cum snug room in the house- painted deep red & lined with books & quirky bits & bobs inc a papier mache zebra’s head wearing fluorescent green head phones- our little boy loves it! There’s an old leather chesterfield in there, so instead of working alone people invariably snuggle up for a chat whilst I’m “working”. Our family kitchen doubles up as back up test kitchen- it’s in our house & is big enough for kitchen table & chairs but the work surfaces are limited. It doubles up as Honeybuns special meetings venue, family HQ, vino fuelled girls nights! Shared with the rest of the family, Matt & two little boys, Winnie & Lorne. I love the homely feel & that everything pretty much in it holds special meaning. The units were made from old Elm by a friend, pottery collected from flea markets or received as gifts, old tins collected over the years. In the kitchen it’s obvious baking & I then write recipes up & do business tasks- eg designing packaging etc in the office.
What have you done to make your space cosy, beautiful or inspiring?
I love having photos around me- and paintings/images with personal meaning- done by friends & family. There are loads of cushions, blankets- reindeer skin & sheepskin all very tactile.
How do you keep organized?
I’m really messy- I’m very visual too- so large pinboards are a life saver- I whack any snippets/ cut outs on there. I tend to use real life pinboards more than on the computer.
I have “in tray” drawers in a little painted chest in the kitchen- out of sight out of mind! I can then dip in and out at leisure. If I’m faced with an overflowing intray on my desk I tend to get mental wheel spin. We’re lucky in that we have another test kitchen located in our Bee Shack Café- ingredients are stored in kilner jars, reclaimed enamel pots & canisters & terracotta vessels- all very higgledy pig. But it works.
Any tips & tricks for organising supplies?
Keeping bigger bins for larger amounts & decanting smaller amounts into kilner jars & popping them onto a-z labeled shelving- right by your work station or surface. I love having all spices, dried fruit, extracts, everything a-zeeeed & visible- this alone inspires me & reminds me of all the possibilities yet to be realized!
We also label all storage receptacles- never relying on memory. We aim to make everything look as attractive as possible- so we use old luggage tags or blackboard paint & chalk- this in itself is motivating- looking at aesthetically pleasing things each day.
We also label all storage receptacles- never relying on memory. We aim to make everything look as attractive as possible- so we use old luggage tags or blackboard paint & chalk- this in itself is motivating- looking at aesthetically pleasing things each day.
Which are your favourite possessions and are there any of your own creations on display?
We have all of our past, present & future drafted marketing material- be it cakeboards, newsletters, gift wrap ribbon on a big pin board in the Honeybuns shared office. We also have a “brand beam” in the test kitchen/café- where we pop significant/happy photos of the team/awards/designs/news snippets. Otherwise they tend to stay stored unseen.
I love our collection of preloved, battered around the edges kitchen utensils- the ones with brightly coloured handles- we keep them stored coloured handles up in old earthen ware Somerset cider jugs.They look cheerful , add character & are a joy to use. The other thing would be our egg yolk coloured Aga in the house.
We have all of our past, present & future drafted marketing material- be it cakeboards, newsletters, gift wrap ribbon on a big pin board in the Honeybuns shared office. We also have a “brand beam” in the test kitchen/café- where we pop significant/happy photos of the team/awards/designs/news snippets. Otherwise they tend to stay stored unseen.
How do you organise your inspiration and ideas?
Pinboards. Aforementioned. Brand beam also.
Where do you look for inspiration?
Anywhere! Very often not in the food scene. We wish to be doing things that are genuinely unique rather than mimicking others in the same field. Mother nature does a grand job of inspiring us. Our Pippin Apple day fliers were v. much inspired by our community orchard.
Out running in the countryside- colours spring out, as do outlines & shapes. My little ones old vintage story books are also excellent feast for the eyes.
If you had three wishes, what would you do to make it the dream space?
1. Doors opening out straight into the garden/outside space
2. Space for a-z labeling & storage of everything
3. A lovely tream to drop by & have a chat with you in those too quiet moments.
Make sure to check out the Honeybuns website for delicious gluten-free baking »
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