Jon's bread gains a slice of Waitrose business

For Edinburgh baker Jon Wood it’s the latest success for a career dream which began when he lost his regular job back in 2010.

It gave him the impetus to put into practice something he’d thought about doing for years.

Bakery Andante first opened in Morningside in 2010, and recently opened new premises in Leith.

All of the freshly baked breads are made from scratch, using locally sourced ingredients where possible – with no improvers, additives or food colouring.

The bakery lives up to its name - Andante is a musical expression meaning “at a slower tempo” – and that is how the bread is made, using the slow food method. T

he sourdoughs take 24 hours to produce, allowing time to create the depth of flavours.

Jon Wood said: “Initially we weren’t interested in supplying supermarkets. However, when we got the call from Waitrose we decided it was definitely worth a try, as it suits our brand perfectly – and they liked our home-made, high quality artisan product.

“Supplying the two stores in Edinburgh has been extremely successful, and we’re pleased that with our new facility in Leith we’re finally able to supply more of the branches.

“We’ve hired some extra staff and have taken on some fantastic apprentices, so it’s an exciting time for us at Andante.”

Jon started baking when his children were born, as he wanted to make good, sustaining food for them, and soon he was getting up at 2am to bake for events such as school fetes, and had developed a passion for making bread.

Tracey Marshall, buyer for local and regional at Waitrose said: “Demand for artisan bread is growing, with sales enjoying a 267 per cent increase year on year.

“With the quality and taste of Jon’s bread it’s easy to understand why. You can tell time has gone into it, the flavours are exceptional.

“It has been incredibly popular with our Edinburgh shoppers and we have no doubt it will be successful elsewhere too.”

Andante white sourdough, Andante 30 per cent Rye sourdough and Andante New York deli style will be available at the Byres Road, Milngavie, Stirling and Newton Mearns stores, with an additional seasonal line which will change every two months.

Jon will be hosting tastings in store for the first few weeks. If the bread proves popular, it is hoped that an additional two lines will be added, to bring all six stores in line with the offering available in the Edinburgh branches.