Welcome to Autumn Cottage Kitchen

About me

I have always loved cooking, so after teaching piano for many years, I finally decided to take the plunge and start a baking business at the end of 2014.

Having spent hours over the years devouring cookbooks and magazines, and thinking up new recipes and combinations of flavours, its lovely to have the opportunity to be creative as my job!

Starting the Tea Rooms in ‘The Rest’ at Oaksey Village Hall was a highlight. I loved baking each Friday/Saturday and seeing familiar faces and meeting new ones, it's was a lovely opportunity to get to know people and share recipes and ideas for the business. But sadly, after two wonderful and enjoyable years, I had to stop as my husband and I  embarked on a new adventure running a Maison d’hotes in France. But I will still be putting my skills to good use - I aim to run cookery courses (in 2018), specialising in using our restored bread oven. I am also going to sell my specialist, award winning, honey-marmalades over there in the local market too. On trips back to the UK, I will still supply preserves here too and continue to bake for Café 53 and supply jams to Barnsley Pub.

Ingredients

Sourcing local ingredients is really enjoyable and it's lovely to support other local enterprises and know the ingredients haven’t travelled far. Although sometimes more expensive, its great to be able to talk to people about where things are from and you know its going to help it taste good. My organic flour and yeast are from Shipton Mill near Tetbury and fruit and vegetables are either homegrown or from Duchy Home Farm or Bramleys wholesalers in Cirencester. Dairy produce is from Cotteswold Dairy in Gloucester (for my fudge) and meat is from Jesse Smiths in Cirencester, as well as eggs that are local and free range. I am also enjoying sourcing new suppliers in France.