Becoming an Accidental Baker

In this month's newsletter, Lottie (patisserie and social media extraordinaire) shares the tale of her unexpected entrance into the world of Coosh...

I’ll set the scene. It’s September 2024 and I’m on my way back home to Nottingham after graduating from university. I have a History of Art MA in hand and not a clue what to do with it. As I open the door to my childhood bedroom, a question that I had successfully avoided for years awaits me, ready to pounce at 3am. “Lottie … what do you want to be when you grow up?”. A troubling problem, one that up until now was reserved for distant relatives or bad first dates. It struck me with such overwhelming force – how was I so underprepared for something so unavoidable? Welcome to the world of employment baby…

Every day for two months I awoke with a different job title. On Monday I was going to work in the restorative justice system, Wednesday came and I had settled on being a cat groomer, by Friday I was writing a memoir. Like many, my panic was compounded by the current state of the job market. It is the ultimate catch-22: how can young people gain work experience when nowhere is willing to offer opportunities to inexperienced people? My knowledge of anthropological theories and emerging themes of embodiment in art surprisingly did not translate to “strong administrative skills and experience”. Then one morning everything changed – my Dad came home with a seeded loaf from the bakery up the road.

“That’s it!” – I thought, as I chomped onto the blistered crust of this warm seedy sourdough. Whilst manically debating whether to start my own crochet clothing company (important to note that I can’t crochet), I had forgotten about something I actually enjoy. FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD! I love making it as well as eating it, and had even recently began gleefully uploading my creations to a ‘foodie’ Instagram account. “Why not contact that bakery, Lotts? They might have a job for you whilst you’re deciding what to do? You’d like it. It’s kooky and one of them has a mullet. It’s called Coosh”. Say no more father. I sent a lengthy, emotive email to Tom Egan (Dad of Coosh) expressing my interest in the bakery and desperate dedication to baked goods. Then, I got a response. I couldn’t believe it. Finally someone had responded to me! He was incredibly empathetic and enthusiastic, but most of all, he was interested…

After completing a trial shift that I described as “the best day of my life” (words that continue to haunt me), to my delight I was offered a job to help out Front of House (the mullet department) during busy weekends. Over the space of a year, what started out as a weekend FOH shift slowly transformed into my current job: working full-time on the patisserie team and heading the social media. The bakery stars aligned for me. I managed to get in whilst there was still room for another mad bean to bumble around in the back.  

While anyone in the queue can see that Coosh is unique, it is likely less known that our team is a wonderful fusion of diverse professional backgrounds and stories. When Rachel (Mum of Coosh) met me, she wasn’t interested in a piece of paper, she was interested in ME. Despite not having any formal training, through a combination of hard work and some very determined teachers, I have gone from anxiously shaping English muffins a year ago, to now tackling the croissants and pain au choc – and I’m even beginning to introduce a few of my own creations to the shelves.

Rach and Tom did something that feels wildly unusual today, they took a chance on someone. I am evidence that anyone can be capable of greatness when nurtured and encouraged by passionate employers. When you become accustomed to new surroundings, it is easy to take things for granted. I often have to remind myself that it is rare to work in a space where people are always kind to each other. A genuine type of kindness that is shown through our sincere investment in each other’s happiness; everyone is your biggest cheerleader. When things have gone wrong, the care and support I have received made it very difficult for me to feel like I failed at work – and I think that is immeasurably special. We are the birth of a passion project after all, so at the heart of everything is something very simple: love.

 So there you go Lottie, to answer your question: “what do you want to be when you grow up?”…

Well, an accidental baker of course. There is nothing more liberating than rejecting convention. 

Lottie Clark 22/04