Copyright shetlandtimes
After 14 years of breakfast pies, mini marzies and Eccles cakes, Stephen Thompson is hanging up his apron. Stephen and Sarah Thompson opened Da Kitchen Bakery from Burravoe Hall’s kitchen, in Yell, shortly after moving to the isles. Since then, their bakes have become a Shetland staple — sold from Scoop to Aywick shop, Unst to Fetlar come rain or shine. But the Thompsons didn’t set out for success, or to bake for Shetlanders at all. “We didn’t move here to start a bakery,” said Mrs Thompson, but after Mary Nicholson from Aywick shop tried Stephen’s bakes the rest was history. Soon their bakes spread across Yell’s shops. Then, with an appearance at the Taste of Shetland food festival, things began to pick up speed. “‘If you make bread, we’ll sell it for you,’ they said,” recalls Mrs Thompson. “And everything kicked off.” Mr Thompson, 65, was born in Liverpool and first took to baking with his uncle Harry — a baker on a Canadian cruise liner. Then came an apprenticeship, and college, and finally a career of baking around the country. “I’m a bit of a geek on the baking side,” he admits. Which is why over the years, the bakery has prided itself not just on sourcing the best ingredients but looking local and staying traditional. Eggs were free-range and milk, butter or cream from Shetland Farm Dairy. Preserves and meat were locally sourced where possible, too. What couldn’t be found on the isles had to be the best, at the Thompsons’ insistence — chocolate always Belgian, and no pre-mixed bakes. “It’s really hard work to keep that going. For pretty much the whole time we’ve worked six days a week,” said Mrs Thompson. “It’s relentless,” she added. “It’s basically a way of life really.” For Mr Thompson baking traditional means 1am starts with bread dough, and longer mixes in the winter when cold makes butter tougher. That hard work has brought rewards, however. “We have a bit of a niche,” said Mrs Thompson. “It tasted like your granny had made it.” Not everything is straight down the line. A favourite over the years has been the bakery’s mini marzies — a twist on marzipan-covered fruit cakes. “I like marzipan and I like sponge cake, so I just played around,” said Mr Thompson. “They’re quite fiddly but it was worth it.” Ultimately the Thompsons may have become victims of their own success. After struggling to find staff following covid the orders for hundreds of Eccles cakes and trays full of tiffin became overwhelming. “We just couldn’t keep up,” said Mrs Thompson. In recent months health issues began to coincide with Mr Thompson’s planned retirement age, and the couple decided the time had come. “There’s no margin for error,” said Mr Thompson. “And it just felt like it was the time now to call it a day.” After 14 years, the Thompsons thanked not only their customers across the isles but their neighbours on Shetland’s friendly isle. “The time has absolutely flown by and we’ve loved living in our corner of Yell,” said Mrs Thompson. “So even though it’s been flat out, we’ve done it in such brilliant surroundings it’s helped those last years of our working life go by.” Now the Thompsons have sold their croft in Yell and plan to return south to spend more time with friends and family in England. Does this mean that Lanarkshire, where the couple are relocating, can expect an influx of reestit mutton pies and mini marzies? Not quite. “He’s not a a baker at home,” laughed Mrs Thompson. “He really doesn’t enjoy it!” Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.
