Companio Bakery

Frankie Tobi

Last Updated 23 January 2018

Companio Bakery, Unit G.06 Flint Glass Wharf, 35 Radium Street, Ancoats, Manchester, M4 6AD – Visit Now

Subscribe to freshly baked bread, go on a bread-baking course or drop in for the occasional artisan loaf; Ancoats’ Companio Bakery has you covered.

Little brings as much joy as the smell of freshly baked bread – at least for the 99 out of every 100 people whose lives aren’t ruined by coeliac disease. But good bread (really good bread, the type that seldom comes pre-sliced and in a plastic bag) requires a bit of effort. Generally speaking, you go a little further out of your way for it.

Step in, Companio Bakery. Started by baker Russell Goodwin, Companio’s offerings may be limited, but the bread here is the stuff of alchemy. Sourdoughs, whole wheats, ryes and seeded loaves are made by hand, based on the sacred foundations of flour, water, yeast and salt—and very little else. Taking this very seriously, Goodwin’s website lays down exactly what goes into his loaves in detail. At least 20% of flour used is locally sourced, which is always good to know.

Little brings as much joy as the smell of freshly baked bread

Occupying a unit on Ancoats’ Radium Street – next to Cafe Cotton – which is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, the bakery also sells at Victoria train station twice a week and Salford Central Station every other week, but is keen to establish a community supported bakery. For those not in the know, this means rather than relying on a bank loan, Goodwin hopes his bakery will get its funding from nearby residents, who in return will be paid interest in his artisan finest.

These principles extend further still, with Ancoats locals who can’t make the bakery’s hours being able to join the Companio Bread club, a subscription based club that allows loaves of Victoria Wholewheat or Pennine Rye to be collected from nearby stalwart Rudy’s Pizza. Additionally, courses with the Breadmaster himself are also available, and with prices ranging from about £2-£3 depending on the size of your loaf, Goodwin is one man trying to make bread great again.

Explore Ancoats – discover Rudy’s Pizza, Cafe Cotton and Hope Mill Theatre nearby.