My journey as a pastry chef started 12 years ago in the vibrant fine dining scene of London. I wanted to learn everything that was there to know, to grasp every facet of the craft. Fast forward to now: I’ve worked in London pop-ups, Michelin starred restaurants, patisseries, bakeries and started my own cake business. After this span of 12 years, I find myself here, at e5 – one of the first bakeries that has ignited my passion as a budding chef all those years!

Our ethos is deeply rooted in regeneration, organics, and communities. If an ingredient isn't locally accessible or sourced from an organic and sustainable origin, it doesn't align with our principles and de facto we don’t use it. The owner of E5 Bakehouse, Ben has a strong dedication to this ethos, which has led e5 to evolve from a modest railway arch bakery into a larger establishment with an in-house mill, a sister site with an in-house coffee roaster, and a farm that supplies us with exquisite organic products, including fruit, vegetables, and wheat. Our ever-changing, highly seasonal menu keeps us on our feet thinking of what new and delicious things we can create. It’s an exciting place to work!

Seasonality does make it tricky to create new products but also straightforward. Our approach involves working with what's available – either from the farm or local suppliers – and creating from there. The variety of heritage grains we mill provides a variety of options to incorporate into our products. For instance, our fruit galettes feature a spelt flaky pastry, while our chocolate chip cookies include rye flour. This blend harmonises splendidly with the rich mix of Original Beans - Yuna (Edel Weiss) 37%, Esmeraldas 42%, and Virunga 70% chocolate we use in it.

A tip I'd like to share when using Original Beans chocolate, or any chocolate for that matter, is to try it first. Identify the flavour nuances and select the best chocolate variant for your creation!