Can you introduce us to Exploding bakery and why you chose that name?

We're a little bakery based in Devon that makes banging cakes with big flavours, using ethical ingredients with a sprinkling of good vibes. Like most good stories, ours started in the pub back in 2010. After a few pints of ale, Tom Oxford and myself thought we could create an open plan bakery on the high street, serving Monmouth coffee and cakes out of a hatch. A few more pints later and we came up with the name. We liked the idea of the name being a verb, it had energy and related to the alchemy of baking. Plus, we could make up other silly stories about the name, like Tom coming from a long line of baker's and his great grandad once owned a bakery that exploded (this is partially true).

We know you have a book launch coming, can you tell us a little more about the book?

Our new book is about stripping back the faff of baking and encouraging people to roll up their sleeves and try some new cake recipes that don't take ages or involve a load of faffy techniques. Also, we've designed all the recipes to work in three different sized tins, so people can choose their favourite cake shape.

How important is community to you and the Bakery?

Community means a lot to us and our company. We're a couple of hippies really, so we just want people to connect and get along. Our little cafe is a vehicle for people to meet and chat, so we recently banned laptops as it was killing the vibe with screen zombies on every table. But we also wanted our customers to be able to send cake anywhere across the country, cake is all about sharing, and we feel this can bring people together outside our cafe too.

Do you agree that cooking/baking is a labour of love?

It needs to be, otherwise where is the joy? Although we sell cake, we always encourage people to make their own, that's why we want all our recipes out there and put them on our journal page too. But there is so much joy to be had in sharing and eating food, it doesn't matter if you skip the cooking/baking part, it's just one part of the story.  

What is your favourite Falcon Product and why?

That's tricky. We use the Falcon pie dishes nearly everyday in our house for cooking things in the oven, normally to roast vegetables. But we also use your bowls for cereal nearly everyday. But I love to eat outdoors and think your plates are unbeatable for picnics or bbqs. They're lighter than ceramic, don't break and can even sit on a fire to keep food warm if needed. They're design classics and can be passed on for generations.

Do you have any exciting plans in the future?

Tom and I really want to create a kitchen garden on a piece of land where we can make cakes from all the things we grow. We'd love to plant forgotten fruits and experiment with certain vegetables. The kitchen would be basic, but hanging out in a creative space like this I feel would take our cake creations to another level. Also, Tom and I made this brownie on the beach last winter using your pie dish and a few other pieces -

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C1ggRu3IT4e/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==