A Rossendale bakery which specialises in a range of sourdough has been nominated in this year’s Lancashire Telegraph Best Bakery competition.
A total of 10 bakeries will battle it out for your votes, with The Crust being one of your finalists.
Owners Inez Kamecka and Bruno Szpak have tried to bring their take on traditional Polish baking to the area and showcase a wide array of bread and sweet treats.
Inez said: “If we win it will mean a lot because more people will know about me, because we are a very small family bakery.
“It would be great for people to know about us, especially after the challenges of Covid.”
Inez and Bruno are always focused on staying true to classical baking methods and refuse to use additives in their products.
Operating out of Rawtenstall Market, they have become well known for their selection of golden, white and Polish sourdough as well as their Szarlotka, a Polish apple cake.
Inez added: “There are a lot of Polish people around here because their families came after the war.
“We are keeping the same methods from ages ago and our customers are happy with the product.”
Also, during the winter months, they offer enormous mince pies which have become a staple of a Rossendale Christmas.
READ MORE: 10 finalists in the Lancashire Telegraph's 'Best Bakery 2024' competition revealed
After going into business with a friend six and a half years ago the pair never thought they would be in the industry for so long.
But when their friend left them after just three months, they decided to stick with it and keep working at improving the family recipes.
However, since then the challenges of the pandemic and the cost of living crisis have placed additional strain on The Crust who have tried desperately to keep their business going.
Inez added: “It has just been horrible. It was so up and down, and we have been really struggling.
“It has been really difficult for us because as me and my partner run the business, when we don’t have any profit, we don’t have any wages.
“Since March we have really started picking up and we are happy to be making a profit, and we know we want to keep the business going.”
They currently have one other person who bakes alongside them and a neighbour who helps with the sourdough.
Readers will be able to vote for the ‘Best Bakery 2024’ by picking up copies of the Lancashire Telegraph between Monday, September 2 and Saturday, September 14, with the winner announced the week commencing September 23
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