After our weekly Saturday morning Rye News editorial meeting, my intention was to follow up my previous article A taste of Cornwall coming soon as the Cornish Bakery (previously Rye Shoes) at 86 High Street was finally open and my task was to get an interview with the team.
Full of good intentions I arrived at said venue only to witness a steadily moving queue of customers both inside and outside the shop and I quickly concluded that the last thing the hard working team would want to do would be to stop work and talk to me!
Instead, I wanted the photos to do the talking but if I could have captured the aroma coming out of the open door and bottled it, I’m sure it would give some of the designer perfume brands a run for their money. The smell of fresh coffee, cakes and savoury pastries was intoxicating, the smart new seating area was very busy, families, couples and customers of all ages enjoying their morning treats whilst soaking up the atmosphere.
The young team behind the counter were coping well with the constant stream of customers, tempted inside by the mouth watering window display with a great selection of cakes, scones and ‘naughties’, savoury pastries and of course their trademark Cornish pasties. You can take all their food and drinks away with you if you choose but for a little extra (average is 40p for food) you can sit and enjoy your visit inside, what’s not to like?
I had plans to write then prepare a story and see if I could persuade Paul Goring our favourite town crier to pose outside the shop, sampling the first pasty to be served, but it was not to be (sorry Paul, the thought was there) but having witnessed the activity at first hand, I have no doubt this new venture will be a hit. The owners have invested a lot of time effort and money in making these premises and experience one to remember and thankfully, an otherwise tired and outdated shop front (see below) has been revitalised bringing further much needed footfall to the High Street.
Cornwall is of course very popular for many reasons, not just its famous pasties which it has been exporting for years but the coast of north Cornwall has been the chosen location for the hugely popular TV drama Poldark and the Doc Martin TV series. Exporting pasties across the UK under the Cornish Bakery concept seems to be proving equally as popular.
Image Credits: Nick Forman , Cornish Bakery .
Be warned – I discovered when I visited yesterday that this is a card only business, it doesn’t take cash. When I queried whether I had missed the sign I was told that the management had not provided them with one! Have they never heard of pen and paper? It seems a strange business model which has the potential to embarrass its customers!
My experience was not improved by the pasty – far too much pastry and very little filling.
Of course they’ve ‘heard’ of a pen and paper. If you look along the street Judith you’ll notice the three banks have now shut along with HSBC that’s four banks gone. Where do you think your coinage will be banked? As an ex-retailer I was tired of breaking £20 notes and handing back a fiver a tenner and some coinage for a small purchase, or being paid in small coins which is just as bad, but at least I was able to bank the ‘shrapnel’. Times have changed. oh, and no, they don’t want a cheque either.
“A tired and outdated shop front”. This is just another flat fronted shop you will find on most high streets totally devoid of character.
Fully agree. Though I’m delighted to see The Cornish Bakery arrive in Rye, I’m baffled as to why shops can open and change their shopfronts to large panes of glass which are not sympathetic to the historical architecture. Yet The George has been pressurised to reverse its white frontage to the sludge colours of the past whilst facing the ugly modern Boots frontage across the street. One rule for one, another rule for others. Of course The Cornish Bakery is a huge improvement on the previous Rye Shoes, but how much nicer it would have been with smaller panes of glass to tie in with the windows above it. Yet again I ask, what exactly does the Rye Conservation Society do?
At least they went through the full planning process first…
What a shame it’s not to your taste, i think it’s very smart and tasteful, much better than the old outdated shopfront, hey ho you can’t please everybody
Ros Gooding
It is smart and tasteful and a huge improvement on the defunct Rye Shoes. I like that they’ve gone for a more muted shade of paintwork compared to the Hastings branch. I only wish the Cornish Bakery success. My issue would be the same as for any shop, why is it one rule for one, and a different rule for others? Certain businesses are rightly forced to keep their properties to architecturally represent the past, whereas others can do a complete overhaul. Do remember that wherever you go, and you tell someone you live in Rye, they say how beautiful it is. And that’s because we still have so many historic features. I think you’ll be hard pushed to find many places that match Rye in this part of the country. Many of us choose to live and buy properties here because of the way Rye looks. People come from all over the world to see our town. It’s in our interest to preserve what we have ( or once had ). Surely that’s the best way to keep the tourists coming, the money coming in, and for Rye Conservation Society to show they are active and have a purpose?
The Rye Conservation Society supported this planning application and is pleased to see a successful new shop opening on the High Street. I enjoyed the pasty I had there the other day and agree with other comments that the shop looks very good. More generally the Society exists to help keep preserve the unique character of Rye while encouraging good development, so I agree with much of what you say, there will always be differences of view and I would encourage people to join the Society and participate with us. We have not commented on the new colour scheme of the George, but there are different shades of opinion! I hope that the George will open again soon and will once again be part of our thriving High Street.
Nick – thank you for the thought, I am a GREAT lover of Cornish pasties, as my rotundity can attest! I have sampled and thoroughly enjoyed the pasties at their Hastings branch, but haven’t yet tried the Rye shop’s wares (but will do so very soon!) I wish them all the very best in their new venture!
Good pasties, proper job.
I look forward to popping in! It looks very inviting and a breath of fresh air for the town too!
It was always going to meet with opposition and had done before it even opened, I walked past there on Monday morning and there were already customers sat in there spending there money.
I know someone Is going to say that they’re not a local firm but how many in Rye are?
Id be interested to know how many shops in Rye are owned or rented by locals, not many I bet.
It’s refreshing to see a business coming to Rye that’s not selling secondhand junk, we also have shops selling carpets and chairs way outside of the pockets of many Rye residents.
Well said Tony,we already have too many junk shops, and Art venues,in this town, this will accommodate tourists and locals alike, let’s have a level playing field for all that want to invest in our town,and wish to sample the delights of the Cornish bakery.
I must agree with the first comment what Judith Dean wrote.
Today I brought 2 Cornish pasties one from the new Cornish pasty shop the other Cornish pasty from Rye Bakeries both take away. Cornish pasty shop £4-00.Rye Bakeries £2-20. Rye Bakery Cornish pasty was what I consider was much better value for your money and tasted much better then the new shop.
If you like a lot of pastry with your pasty then the new Cornish pasty shop is the one to go to, but not for me.
Vic
I admire your commitment to good quality market research.