Did you know that Well Kneaded turns 9 this year?? Many of you will be aware that we started out selling pizza from the hatch of our beloved Wendy van and a couple of years ago moved into our permanent home in Earlsfield.
In the spirit of birthdays we thought it would be fun to look back over the last (nearly) decade of Well Kneaded through the eyes of one of the wonderful humans that started it all. Bryony was there from the very beginning, and although she's stepped in and out physically, she's always been there behind the scenes cheering us on and being a voice of wisdom and encouragement. Read on to hear her thoughts on the last 9 years of WK...
'The smell of wood smoke always throws me right back......standing in the wagon on a crisp winter morning, stoking the pizza oven and loading the gastro trays, ready to head to the next location on the streets of London. Big black furry boots and woolly jumpers were my wardrobe staple as Bridget and I found ourselves mid-winter pavement side most days, doling out pizza to hungry Londoners.
When we served our first pizza in 2011 we had a mission to open the opportunities of employment to more young people who had faced disadvantage. Our first employee was and still is an absolute hero....the one and only Carl. If you haven’t met him then head on down to collect your pizza from Well Kneaded - he is there regularly and will light up your day. In the early days Carl turned up and pitched in until it was evident that he was keen to be trained up in all things pizza.
It has been amazing to see the wagon birth the whippet (the second mobile pizza oven) and from them the pizzeria - all supported by an amazing team who have enabled weddings, festivals and everything in between to feature throughout the Well Kneaded year. Thank goodness for Laurence (Bridget’s husband) who stepped in as I stepped back from the business for a bit in 2013 - he is a flavour genius and has been instrumental in the birth of the pizzeria. He is also keeping Well Kneaded at the forefront of sustainability as we seek to love the planet as well as the people on it.
This last year has certainly thrown a lot at us - it is incredible how the team has made the business thrive through lockdown (x2!) and it has been wonderful to see the pizzeria become established in the Earlsfield community.
We will be 10 years old next year! Having recently taken on a more involved role in the business, I am so excited to see what our next Well Kneaded birthday will bring....maybe we will have launched our second site, maybe we will be milling all our own flour, maybe the general store will be packed to the rafters. What I do know is that people and community will always be at the heart of what we do and we really hope you’ll all join us for the journey.'