• Pump Street Bakery
  • Pump Street Bakery head baker Hannah Frost

Chef's Summer Special - Hannah Frost from Pump Street Bakery

No trip to The Suffolk Coast is complete until you've sampled the delicious baked goods of Pump Street Bakery. The iconic bakery in Orford not only makes the mouth-watering cakes and pastries, their bean to bar chocolate is now sold across the country. We spoke to Head Baker Hannah Frost to find out what inspires her and her favourite summer dish...

What is your summer dish?

New potato, tomato and dill salad. It's a dish that I first ate at the Darsham Nurseries Cafe when it was still open and it's formed a part of my summer meal rotation ever since.

What local produce do you love working with?

Foraged ingredients are always exciting - wild garlic, gorse flowers and elderberries have played a part in my bakes over the years. I lived in Northern Ireland for a few years and we connected with some local growers that were really innovating in the small scale regenerative agricultural space. I have fond memories of eating fresh peas straight out of the bag in my kitchen on the same day they were picked.

Of course, an honourable mention too for Baron Bigod cheese from Fen Farm Dairy just down the road. It's unbeatable spread thickly on a fresh baguette.


Where do you get your inspiration?

The kitchens I've worked in have been hugely diverse and I've always taken inspiration from the food from different cultures that my colleagues grew up with and enjoy. I also hate to admit it but I have a bit of an addiction to Instagram. I follow so many amazing bakers and bakeries that I'll try and visit whenever I have the time. It's a great way to see how the industry interprets food trends in their own styles too.

What cooking techniques bring out the best in seasonal ingredients?

It's an obvious answer but, baking! Incorporating seasonal ingredients into bakes is something that we really focus on at Pump Street Bakery and really helps to fortify connections to our growers and environment.

What tips do you have for home chefs?

Try to temper your expectations of what things 'should' look like according to perfectly orchestrated shots on Instagram (we're all guilty of a little food styling and set dressing to make things look more presentable than they are!) Most importantly, enjoy the process and feed others because food is always better when shared.c

New Potato, Tomato & Dill Salad Recipe

New potato, tomato and dill salad

This will serve four people as a summer side dish. Perfect for a barbeque spread or as an accompaniment to some fresh bread and cheese. You will need:

  • 3 shallots, finely sliced 
  • 20g dill (3 stalks for garnish)
  • 400g cherry tomatoes 
  • A glug of red wine vinegar (balsamic vinegar works perfectly too!) 
  • 600g new potatoes 
  • 1 vegetable stock cube 
  • 3 spring onions (optional, as a garnish)
  • Sea Salt (Halen Mon is a Pump Street favourite) 

1. Half your potatoes into bite sized pieces and boil in salted water until cooked through, but still nicely firm. Put these to one side until the sauce is ready.  

2. Finely slice the shallots, warm some olive oil on a medium high heat, gently fry the onions when the oil is hot, season generously with sea salt. 

3. When the onions are soft and golden, add halved cherry tomatoes to the pan, continue cooking on a medium high heat until softened, around 2 minutes. 

4. Now add a glug of red wine vinegar, a stock cube and 1/2 cup water. Save three whole dill stems for decoration and remove the rest of the dill fronds from the stalks and add these to the mixture in the pan. 

5. Simmer gently until the tomatoes and onions melt together into a syrupy jammy sauce. Taste as you go and add more salt to your liking. 

6. After around 10 minutes your sauce should be beautifully combined, with some remaining chunks of tomato.

7. Mix the potatoes with the onion and tomato mixture, garnish with finely sliced spring onions and the remaining fresh dill. Season generously with salt and black pepper and enjoy. 



WHERE TO EAT

Pump Street Chocolate Bakery and Cafe 

Pump Street Chocolate Bakery and Cafe

Pump Street Bakery is a small, family owned bakery and cafe in the village of Orford on Suffolk's Heritage Coast.

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