How often does the Cycle of Life see one door close as another opens ?
We heard sad news about Satterthwaites Bakery of Crosby, Liverpool which has announced that its closing its doors for the last time - after 112 years of trading. It holds a special place for Our Stephen.
Steve was lucky enough to do his bakery apprenticeship at this time honoured establishment under the mentoring of the much loved 65 year old Snowy Billington, a baker who had already worked for Satts for 50 years ... man & boy.
At the age of 14 Steve knew what he wanted to do when he left school. His Uncle Harry - a cook in the Navy - had revealed the magic of making bread when home on leave one time. That made his mind up, he was going to be a baker.
In the year before leaving school he nagged and pestered the then owner Mrs Wilson until she agreed to give him a job. She was the daughter of old Wally Satterthwaite who opened the shop in 1910
Starting upstairs in the bakery, he learned his craft, made his mistakes but started his lifelong journey of making his living out of doing something he really loved doing.
"Satts" was famous for many delicacies, not least of which was the Lancashire pork pie made from pork brought in from the rural areas surrounding Liverpool ... this was in the days before intensive pig farming that sadly today accounts for much of what is sold.
As a 16 year old, one of the apprentices jobs was to learn how to "jelly the pies". Upstairs in the "pie room" the older bakers had made the hot water pastry (that makes pork pies distinctively different), chopped and seasoned the pork before hand raising the pie ready for lidding.
Old Wally - retired when Steve was an apprentice but a regular visitor to his bakeries and shops - announced that Steve was without doubt the best young pie jellier they had ever had, never a drop spilled.
MR SATTERTHWAITE
HOWEVER ...
He was a bit of a scally at times :-)
Or the time he was working in "despatch" , packing up the orders ready for delivery. There was one particular lad who came into the area to collect his deliveries every Saturday and all he woud say to Steve was "Give us a pie" week in week out. He was older than Steve but he was told to b**ger off. Until finally Steve did give him a pie, although a doctored one (he'd removed the lid, added a handful of pepper replacing the lid carefully afterwards). The following week he was chased around the bakery by the furious delivery lad who determined to wreak revenge on his oppressor. Didn't catch him though - a scally Steve may be, but he's a fast one!
Satts had taught him well. During his apprenticeship he earned "Student of the Year" at Colquitt Bakery College, Liverpool followed by the National Hovis Baker of the year.
When he left at 21, Mrs Wilson knew he would make it, just 4 years later and he had set up his first bakery.
He learned much at Satts, from the traditions of bread making the many varieties we all used to see piled high on old bakery shelves, to the finer art of patisserie. Afraid nothing but the real McCoy tastes like patisserie confectionary.
So here we are 35 years after starting as that young apprentice, Steve still proudly continues the traditions of the bakers he learnt from and loves his job.
So as I was saying, as one door closes another opens. What better tribute to that lifelong baker Snowy Billington & the Satts establishment that Da Kitchen Bakery's best selling products are Satterthwaites most popular product, the Bavarian Slice. Still going strong 690 miles north of Liverpool in Yell, Shetland.
Satterthwaites 1910-2012 .
Thanks for everything.
No comments:
Post a Comment