2 days ago
Popular Sutton Coldfield baker who had to give up business is back with new venture
A popular baker who ran his business from his parents' front garden is back with a new venture at a boutique shopping venue.
Sebastian Clough ran On The Breadline from the family home in Worcester Lane, Roughley, Sutton Coldfield.
The venture was a smash hit and there were queues down the road when he was open.
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But the talented chef became a victim of his own success and working 20-hour days left him in excruciating pain and needing to stop.
Sebastian closed the business last Christmas with foodies lamenting the loss of his signature sourdough focaccia breads and more, which he had been selling since 2018.
But after battling back to fitness, Seb is back and helping run the bakery at the Forage food hall at the Coppice lifestyle centre in Middleton, between Sutton Coldfield and Tamworth.
The venue is best-known for its Fig and Olive restaurant but is expanding its other offers including Forage, which will soon have an outdoor eating and drinking area.
A number of independent businesses offer wedding outfits, antiques, Pilates, children's wear, pre-loved clothes, interior design, artwork and more.
But Forage is the food hall at the heart of the venue, with an in-house bakery, butchers, deli and coffee shop.
Coppice Lifestyle owner Jason Smith was a fan of Seb's and offered him a role.
Seb, aged 29, said: 'It came out of the blue. I had my issues with my legs, with swelling. That's when I closed On the Breadline.
'At the time I was doing 20 hours-a-day and knew If I didn't stop the hours I was doing, I would get worse.
'I had to choose my health instead of my business.'
He began On the Breadline aged just 22 and shut it on Christmas Eve last year after six years.
He has spent the last few months recovering his health and was approached by Jason in April.
He said: 'He gave me the opportunity to take on the whole of the bakery at Forage. To do what I was doing with On the Breadline but not the hours I was doing.
'I am doing sourdough loaves, tins, wholemeal and white baguettes and specialist breads with crispy onions or olives and Mediterranean focaccia – the focaccia was what I was best known for because of its flavour.' Seb even does a sourdough made with Guinness.
And he was quick to praise Forage's other new recruits – Emily, Paighten and Beth – who have all joined in recent weeks.
He said: 'It's a team effort with the cakes. There's four of us doing bread, cakes and pastries.
'This is my third week and I'm slowly changing what we have and expanding it.
'It was small white and wholemeal loaves and basic sourdough. They weren't complex flavours,.
'But I am bringing my bread that people used to rave about. My passion is bread,' he added.
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Sebastian started baking aged just 11 and going to a Saturday course at University College Birmingham (UCB).
He left school and went back to UCB to train as a professional baker.
After a gap year, he travelled to Chicago in the United States to train at the French Pastry School for a year.
On the Breadline was essentially a one-man band with a little help from his mum and sister, who helped sell his baked goods.
But the work became relentless and he was up early to bake and then sell, before prepping the next day's goods.
Seb said: 'I was doing sourdoughs, croissants, cakes, treats, prepping sandwiches throughout the day.
'I was doing it all by myself. I was the only one doing the baking side of it.'
Now at Forage he still has the early starts but he's part of a team so works from 5am to 1pm or 2pm and sales are handled by the Forage team, and with three others baking, its less onerous.
He said: 'It's manageable but perfect for what I want to do.
'I'm head of bread but there's others doing the pastries and cakes.
'We supply the Fig and Olive with its breads.
'I will be bringing all of what I did with On The Breadline – focaccia, chocolate and cherry and crispy onion. Different breads will be coming.
'The only thing we aren't doing, which we had, is different sandwiches.
But what makes the Sutton baker's breads stand out from the rest?
He said: 'It's the process. I like to leave my doughs for 48 hours of fermentation. Normally it's 24 hours.
'But 48 hours adds more depth in flavour. The most flavoured breads I do is my focaccia.
'It's part science, part passion and skill.'
Seb said he was thrilled to get the offer from Jason.
He said: 'This came along and it's woken my dream back up.
'I am still doing my passion in my skilled area.. It's woken the dream back up in a different way.
'When I came here Jason showed me around and told me what he wanted.
'He said the bakery was lacking and he wanted to make the bakery stand up a little bit.
'This is something I want to do. I wanted to stay in baking and it was finding the right opportunity.
'The timing was perfect. I'm able to control my health a lot better.
'It's my passion. I was so excited to start. It's what I love.'
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He added: 'It's been amazing, the welcome. The people are all lovely.
'Normally, I am a shy person and get anxious at new things but it felt like it was right for me.
'The bakery team is new but we are working well together and creating ideas.
'The breads are beautiful. The cakes are beautiful. We are developing every day.'
Forage's bakery uses herbs, fruits and spices grown at what was the old Newlands Garden Centre – now Coppice.
'I want the bakery to stand alone,' Seb said. 'I want people to say 'I'm going to the Forage for the bakery. I want it to have its own identity.'
