Award-winning Sheffield bakery launches pop up shop for commuters at railway station

Forge Bakehouse, which has just won a prize in the prestigious World Bread Awards, draws food-lovers from across the city to its branch on Abbeydale Road for artisan pastries, fine bread and brunch.

Now the team is taking their goodies on tour, by setting up a stall on Friday afternoons inside Sheffield railway station and bringing some much needed cheer to passengers. 

Owner Martha Brown said: 'It was originally my mum's idea, she's seen a bakery in the station at Brighton and said what a good idea it was.

'I'd been thinking about it for a while and finally decided to contact the station. They were really supportive about it and keen to get an independent in there.

'Even in the first week it was really nice to see people using us for different reasons '“ people grabbing something sweet for their journey, walking past us on their way home to Norfolk Park, or coming back from a trip and being able to pick up a loaf of bread rather than going to the supermarket.

'It's great being able to reach a new audience because we aren't usually in the city centre.'

The stall sold out '˜bar a couple of cookies' on its first day trading at the station last week, and reopens at 2pm today, closing around 6pm. Martha said she had been able to branch out into new projects, such as the awards and pop up stall, this year. She claimed the ciabatta winner's prize at the Tiptree World Bread Awards with Brook Food in London earlier this month, and took runner up prize in the malt bread category. Martha's entries competed against hundreds of loaves sent in from around the UK '“ delivered by courier, taxi and in person on the morning of the judging at Cathedral Hall, Westminster Cathedral.