Hucknall 'hidden gem' bakery and deli wants to showcase local produce to the town and beyond

Abi Wheeldon, aged 25 and Kane Kindratiuk, aged 28, have been the owners of Spelt & Rye on Annesley Road for nearly a year now and describe it as ‘a hidden gem’.

As well as the breads and pastries baked on the premises, the shop sells items like beers, ciders and honey, all made in Hucknall.

And Abi wants the shop to be a platform to get these and more local products to a wider audience.

She said: “I worked in the shop with the previous owner and I loved the job and didn’t want it to go.

"So when he retired, I took it on, even though I’d never done anything like it before.

"I even had to learn how to bake!”

Having got themselves settled into the roles of being business owners, Abi and Kane are now putting their own stamp on Spelt & Rye – but without losing anything of what made the shop popular in the first place.

One big part of that is changing the opening hours and from March 18, it will be only be open from 9.30am to 3pm Wednesday and Thursday, 8.30am to 3pm Friday and 8.30am to 1pm on Saturday.

There will also be some changes to the menu.

Abi continued: “People still love the breads and baguettes and croissants we had before and we’re not changing that.

"But changing the hours allows us to focus on making more variety of different things for the weekend.

"We also want to sell more products from local suppliers.”

“Our focus is on making and selling really good food that you won’t get anywhere else in Hucknall.

“I never had ambitions for owning a business like this, but I knew I wanted to do something in Hucknall becuase that’s good for the town and we can bring so many people in, not just locally but from all around, to see what great food and drink products Hucknall is producing.

"We get people coming in from outside of Nottinghamshire just to buy our bread, so we want these people seeing what else Hucknall has to offer as well.”