Open soon: Ex-Pollen and Siop Shop bakers bring Long Bois Bake House to Levenshulme

A new neighbourhood bakery is coming to Levenshulme created by bakers from city-centre favourites Pollen and Siop Shop. Originally due to open in June, Long Bois Bake House will instead debut in early October in a site previously occupied by The Bottle Corner on Birdhall Grove. The brainchild of Jenny Oakenfull, Sarah Bryan and Bethan Roberts – a trio of bakers who met whilst working at places like Wolfhouse, Siop and Pollen – Long Bois promises to deliver plenty of local vibes alongside a selection of sweet and savoury baked treats.

“We wanted to open a ‘neighbourhood bakery’ to service a community and be part of something local, so Lev was always high on our list of potential places to open,” says Oakenfull, speaking exclusively to Manchester Wire. “We’ve been South Manchester residents for many years and watched Levenshulme grow and thrive, making regular trips to Trove, the Klondyke, the market – and more recently Station Hop, Nordie, The Talleyrand, and now Isca – so many amazing businesses!” she smiles. “We love the strong community feel and sense of pride in the area, we’re looking forward to getting to know the residents of Lev very well.”

Despite their launch date being delayed due to COVID, Oakenfull, Bryan and Roberts remain optimistic about debuting amid economic uncertainty: “We were slightly apprehensive about opening midst a global pandemic but have witnessed the amazing support given to independent businesses by Manchester residents throughout this time and are hoping that we can still make it work,” Oakenfull tells us. “We’re hoping to open the doors in early October, ready for pumpkin pie season! We will be selling cakes, slices, and savoury stuff too – plus introducing our own range of freshly baked pastries once we’re properly on our feet in the site.”

With fun as their core ethos – something that’s certainly reflected in their colourful bakes (their home made pop tarts look ace) –  a seasonal menu will arrive shortly after doors open, while locally sourced produce like cheese, honey, eggs, milk, coffee and beer, and a range of Long Bois’ own jams pickles and chutneys will be available to buy in store.