The villages of Watlington and Wallingford are five miles apart. They are located in rural Oxfordshire. These small towns have created high streets by supporting two local businesses, Five Little Pigs in Wallingford and Orange Bakery in Watlington. Kitty Tait, co-founder at Orange Bakery, explains that community is what matters for Aimee and herself. We share a common principle, and that’s why we get along so well.

Aimee is the co-owner of Five Little Pigs – a busy bistro named after Agatha Christie’s 1942 detective novel. Aimee Hunt, Rob McGregor, and Sam Smith from Wallingford co-owns the business. In 2021 a Kickstarter campaign raised over PS50,000. Aimee says that it’s a fantastic way to monetize community support. Plus, you are not entirely at the mercy and control of the banks. They opened their doors in 2021, just after the Covid restrictions were lifted. The menu constantly changes and includes modern European small plates made from local ingredients. Sustainability and seasonality are also important.

Kitty crowdfunded her Bakery. She runs it with her father, Al Tait, who quit his teaching job in 2019 to bake alongside his daughter every morning. The locals also funded Orange Bakery, which raised a total of PS10,000.

Aimee began her career by feeding friends and friends of friends. She eventually became tired of “always having food that was not allowed to be eaten in my home kitchen,” so she rented a commercial kitchen beneath her apartment, adding a few tables to the window. She says, “I thought that if nobody shows up, it’s okay, I’ll just be fulfilling catering orders in the back.” “But I had no time to do outside catering for the first two years because so many people came.”

Kitty’s journey into baking was completely unplanned. She began struggling with depression and anxiety at the age of 14. “I couldn’t function – I couldn’t go to the school.” Now 18, Kitty recalls she “just couldn’t go on with the motions anymore.” Kitty’s family was incredibly supportive, but “nothing worked.”

Kitty’s life changed forever when she watched her father make a white loaf using a no-knead, straightforward method. At that moment, she was enchanted by the transformation of this gloopy, sticky dough into something beautiful with a bit of patience. It felt like my mind was capable of doing that. Six months later, they opened Orange Bakery.

Every Saturday, there’s a line of people outside her front door. In 90 minutes, her bread counter has been emptied of all of her classic sourdoughs and flavored loaves (her favorites being sesame miso and marmite swirls), as well as seven different types of buns and pastries, such as cinnamon buns and pain Suisse. Kitty says that she used to hate Chelsea buns. But after receiving many requests, she decided to make them her way, adding apple slices and raisins soaked in tea and garam masala.

They both share a respect for their community and are committed to showing “what others can do.” Aimee’s commitment to her community is evident on each plate she serves, thanks to her chosen suppliers. She says, “We have some of the best producers in this area.” “I’ve got Kitty’s bread …”

Aimee is committed to sourcing ingredients sustainably. They use the whey from Norton & Yarrow and Nettlebed Creamery Brothers, Watlington, and source their meat from local Cotswolds producers. Aimee has a supplier affectionately known as “Pete, the rabbit killer,” who “drops off bunnies at the door” sporadically. Trouts are caught at the trout farms in East Hendred, ten miles from Aimee.

Mark Stevenson runs The Clays in Warborough and grows the organic fruit and vegetables served at Five Little Pigs. Aimee says she learned a lot from Mark Stevenson about how hard and soul-destroying it can be to farm at any scale. The best part of this relationship is that we can share it with our customers. The dishes may change if a crop is destroyed by slugs or a batch of cheese fails.

Aimee will accept unannounced local glutes as well as bunnies. In the new season, a box of Jerusalem artichokes has inspired a small plate where some are roasted whole until “tender, fudgy,” and others “whizzed to a silky-smooth purée.”

Behind the bar are also foraged ingredients, steeped or distilled into tinctures or into unusual syrups. The Nocino sour is a new addition to the cocktail menu. It is based on Aimee’s homemade green walnut liquor. Aimee says that after green walnuts will take on black color ing picked, halved, and steeped for about six months in vodka, green, the drink turns a deep black with hints of green. The glass is strained, sweetened with demerara, and aromatized using bitters.

Kitty is proud to show off the community that helped her so much initially. She started training Wallington residents who were willing to learn. We have four lovely customers from the area who have been there since day one, each working full-time for us. “They are only one month old, but already they have mastered the croissant dough,” says she with pride.

Kitty takes a Friday break from baking to work on her latest project, her “breaducation program”. After the publication of her book Breadsong, a memoir and recipe book in one, Kitty was inspired to encourage more people to bake. Kitty’s Bakery now sells no-knead kits thanks to a new crowdfunding campaign. Every kit sold will pay for another equipment sent to schools, prisons, and community groups at no cost.

Aimee checks the Kitty’s Herby Butter Rolls she has in the oven just as our conversation ends. These rolls will be on the lunch tables of Five Little Pigs soon. She says, “They look great.” “They are quite resilient, to be honest.” Both of the women seem to be following the right recipe.

Kitty Tait’s Herby Butter Rolls For Five Little Pigs

Ingredients:

Strong White Bread Flour 500g

7g of salt

3g dried yeast

Water 330ml

Fresh herbs and a handful of leeks with three corners

Rapeseed Oil 2 Tbsp

Melted butter to brush on baked goods

Method:

1. Put all the ingredients in a bowl, mix them into a shaggy mixture and cover it. Leave for 8 to 24 hours.

2. Roll each piece into a ball, and place it on a baking sheet to prove for an hour. Preheat your oven to 220c, and bake the dough for 15 minutes or until golden.

3. Add rapeseed and three-cornered leeks to a food processor. Blitz until the consistency is dripping.

4. Butter in a pan, add the herb mixture and brush the buns immediately after they are done. Let the buns cool down for 10 minutes, then enjoy!