New Ash Green has its very own high quality bakery where every item is made on the premises by traditional methods.

Now one of the longest established businesses in the centre, first opened as The White Eagle Bakery in 1969 when phase 1 of the centre was first opened. Then owned by a polish baker called Edie Chyk and for whom the current owner Grant Wren first worked as a Saturday boy aged 14 and commenced his apprenticeship.

As well as acquiring knowledge in the bakery, Grant also attended The National Baking School, which at the time was acknowledged as one of the best schools in Europe and is now part of South Bank University.

Grant's parents, Sybell and Derek bought the bakery from Eddie in 1979 renaming it The Granary. They have now retired to Devon and we are looking forward to contacting them for a possible article in our past traders section. Grant took over in 1991.

The Granary is a traditional bakery, which makes a good assortment of bread, cakes and pastries, daily using only best quality materials, non-hydrogenated fats and untreated flours.

Takeaway coffee, sandwiches and hot savouries are available daily. Celebration and wedding cakes are made to order and specific requirements can be discussed with Grant in The Granary or by telephone on 01474 872719.

Grant starts work at midnight with his dedicated team of nighttime staff, finishing early afternoon the following day. In the left hand picture he is making sausage rolls using best quality pork sausage meat applied by piping onto the pastry, which is then cut into strips, folded over and cut to length before baking. In the right hand picture he is taking a batch of bread from the oven, the complete process of bread making taking a four hour turn round time.

Grant is clearly very enthusiastic about his business working long and unsociable hours to be ready for his early morning customers. He is however not a complete workaholic enjoying his Suzuki GSXR 1000 motorbike and horse riding with his daughter.

Tania, Grant's wife and business partner is here making cookie cakes, a form of chocolate heaven made from chocolate fudge brownies topped with chocolate chip cookies and finally dipped in chocolate before putting on the drying tray.		Linda from Penenden at the loaf-slicing machine where customers can have bread to their own particular preference for slice thickness.

Sue from Redhill Wood part hidden behind the early morning display.		Another New Ash Green Resident who works locally in the Granary, Elaine, also from Redhill Wood.