My late dad was a baker for 40 years, and the kind of stuff Angela was churning out wouldn't have looked out of place in my dads shop in the 60's.
It is clear that all she wanted was a re launched shop and in particular a new floor. When she realised the programme was about more than just cosmetics she wasnt interested.
I know a bit about the baking game and with a supermarket around the corner she really has to up her game. My dads old shop was sold as a going concern in 1990 making a healthy profit, however in 1997 it went bust when Morrisons opened up, the new owners did not head my dads advice to make new breads and update the cake selection, my dads shop is now a charity shop, most of the independant bakeries around here are closed - Angela missed a great opportunity!
Rather than comment on Angela personally, I'll comment on the shop, which I have been into several times. Let me tell you, that place is a goldmine, every time I've been in there it's packed.
And guess what, those sickly sticky cakes that you loved as a kid in the 70's, well kids still love them today funnily enough. I'd rather buy a freshly made (but slightly imperfect) 'smiley biscuit' from a bakers than a uniformly perfect one made in a factory.
Yes, they should have tapped into the 'Artisan Bread' scene a little earlier, but they do have a section for speciality breads now. Even if made from a mix, the good yummy mummies of Raynes park will pay a premium for them (until Waitrose opens anyway!)
Normally these programs focus on failing businesses, but Maher is not failing, and therfore Angela had no need to take on the advice of someone if she did not want to. Don't get me wrong, I'm not sticking up for her, her attitude was appalling at times, but (as some people have already suggested) there's more to this than just what we saw.
Rather than comment on Angela personally, I'll comment on the shop, which I have been into several times. Let me tell you, that place is a goldmine, every time I've been in there it's packed.
And guess what, those sickly sticky cakes that you loved as a kid in the 70's, well kids still love them today funnily enough. I'd rather buy a freshly made (but slightly imperfect) 'smiley biscuit' from a bakers than a uniformly perfect one made in a factory.
Yes, they should have tapped into the 'Artisan Bread' scene a little earlier, but they do have a section for speciality breads now. Even if made from a mix, the good yummy mummies of Raynes park will pay a premium for them (until Waitrose opens anyway!)
Normally these programs focus on failing businesses, but Maher is not failing, and therfore Angela had no need to take on the advice of someone if she did not want to. Don't get me wrong, I'm not sticking up for her, her attitude was appalling at times, but (as some people have already suggested) there's more to this than just what we saw.
Wonder why she called the team in then?
Also if the place really is a 'goldmine' why didn't she just fork out for the refurb herself in the first place?
At last, someone who has actually been in the shop. Analogik, if as you say, the place is a goldmine, well I am even more angry about that ignorant woman.
I have never seen the programme before, but I would imagine the formula is the same as The Hotel Inspector or Ramsay's KM ? Failing underperforming business calls in the experts and they offer tips and advice to turn the company around.
Imagine the amount of people who genuinely wanted the expertise of Mary to help their ailing businesses. all she wanted was a new floor and an extra £1000 a week.
Angela should be ashamed of her behaviour. I always support local shops, but if I lived in the area I would walk 2 miles for a loaf rather than give that ungrateful mare any of my hard earned cash.
Mary Portas does have a habit of not only bringing in the new, but also throwing out the old (whether it is working or not). That is what so often winds people up.
I'm quite suprised in all these pages that nobody else mentioned this because it was a moment my boyfriend and I spoke a lot about when it happened and was very telling about both Paul and Angela's attitudes.
When first meeting Paul he said "...I ihave been in this business X amount of years and I am still learning, any baker who tells you they know everything and have nothing more to learn are lying".
That isn't a direct quote, but he did say words very close to that. I can't remember how many years he said he was doing it because, unlike Angela, he didn't go on about it every 2 minutes. Although, I forget to be honest - how many years has she been in business? The number 36 springs to mind for some reason.
Anyways.... my point. This just shows how brilliant an attitude Paul has, he knows that even though he is skilled, he has loads to learn and is very enthusiastic and eager to do so. Angela in stark contrast thinks she knows it all and that nobody can teach her anything. She could learn a thing or two from Paul, but that's not going to happen...after all, she's been in business for 36 years (I think) and he hasn't - once he's been in this business for 36 years - THEN he can talk to her about it.
At last, someone who has actually been in the shop. Analogik, if as you say, the place is a goldmine, well I am even more angry about that ignorant woman.
I have never seen the programme before, but I would imagine the formula is the same as The Hotel Inspector or Ramsay's KM ? Failing underperforming business calls in the experts and they offer tips and advice to turn the company around.
Imagine the amount of people who genuinely wanted the expertise of Mary to help their ailing businesses. all she wanted was a new floor and an extra £1000 a week.
Angela should be ashamed of her behaviour. I always support local shops, but if I lived in the area I would walk 2 miles for a loaf rather than give that ungrateful mare any of my hard earned cash.
In fairness, the shop owner made it very clear at the beginning of the programme that this was not a failing business. The production team could have made a swift exit had they so wished.
My guess is that they knew this would make good TV (and it did). So, rather than be honest with her from the beginning about the style of the programme, they decided to plough on regardless, knowing they were heading for a great deal of conflict.
There's only one thing more pathetic than a young idiot, and that's an old idiot. That woman deserves her business failing. Silly old trout!
She may have come across as a 'silly old trout', but she has also run a successful buisiness, employing what looked like quite a few people, for a long time (was it 36 years?). I think all she was looking for was a bit of real acknowledgement of the things that were working well, instead of the repeated implication that she didn't know what she was doing.
In fairness, the shop owner made it very clear at the beginning of the programme that this was not a failing business. The production team could have made a swift exit had they so wished.
My guess is that they knew this would make good TV (and it did). So, rather than be honest with her from the beginning about the style of the programme, they decided to plough on regardless, knowing they were heading for a great deal of conflict.
To be fair, Mary's commentary stated that the business's profits had halved in 5 years, so it was hardly in a healthy financial state.
It was plain from the beginning all Angela wanted was a refit, and when Mary told her that wasn't her game, Angela threw her toys out of the pram. If she'd accepted Mary's ideas, ditched some of the out of date products that she was selling and tried to make more bread than cakes, she might have got somewhere. If she could manage a refit in the end out of her own money, why didn't she do it years ago?
In fairness, the shop owner made it very clear at the beginning of the programme that this was not a failing business. The production team could have made a swift exit had they so wished.
My guess is that they knew this would make good TV (and it did). So, rather than be honest with her from the beginning about the style of the programme, they decided to plough on regardless, knowing they were heading for a great deal of conflict.
Just because your business isn't failing it doesn't mean you can't improve it, which is what she wanted to do - but without actually making any changes!
Also - do you really think it is as easy as just up and leaving when it comes to filming a tv show? These things are planned months and months in advance and it probably would have been too late to arrange something else. It would have been a real waste of resources.
Angela didn't even know anything about the accounts and she admitted herself that she wasn't making any profit "...I make enough to pay tha wages but thats about it...". So yea, I'd call that a failing business - your business doesn;t have to be losing money to be failing. The whole point is to make a profit, so if you're not - FAIL!
If Angela didn't want help or change then she shouldn't have applied for the show. I find it hard to believe you would appear on a show without first researching what the show was and I also find it hard to believe that she wasn;t told exactly what it entailed. She did blatantly just want a free refit and publicity.
I said to my boyrfriend, she is cutting her nose off to spite her face (perfect analogy I think) and at the end of the day if she wasn't so stubborn and proud, she could have gone ahead with the changes and show and changed it all back after had she wanted. She wasn't even willing to give it a try. She wasted a brilliant opportunity and a chance for some GOOD publicity.
She may have come across as a 'silly old trout', but she has also run a successful buisiness, employing what looked like quite a few people, for a long time (was it 36 years?). I think all she was looking for was a bit of real acknowledgement of the things that were working well, instead of the repeated implication that she didn't know what she was doing.
In which case she applied to be on the wrong show = silly old trout.
Are you related or something? I'm just trying to understand why you would be attempting to condone her poor, poor behaviour.
Rather than comment on Angela personally, I'll comment on the shop, which I have been into several times. Let me tell you, that place is a goldmine, every time I've been in there it's packed.
And guess what, those sickly sticky cakes that you loved as a kid in the 70's, well kids still love them today funnily enough. I'd rather buy a freshly made (but slightly imperfect) 'smiley biscuit' from a bakers than a uniformly perfect one made in a factory.
Yes, they should have tapped into the 'Artisan Bread' scene a little earlier, but they do have a section for speciality breads now. Even if made from a mix, the good yummy mummies of Raynes park will pay a premium for them (until Waitrose opens anyway!)
Normally these programs focus on failing businesses, but Maher is not failing, and therfore Angela had no need to take on the advice of someone if she did not want to. Don't get me wrong, I'm not sticking up for her, her attitude was appalling at times, but (as some people have already suggested) there's more to this than just what we saw.
Well from going in there every so often you can't tell if the place is a "goldmine" unless you are outside it from 9am - 5pm 6 days a week. Also remember that a lot of bakery trade comes from wholesale, she may be failing in this area you don't really know.
The fact is at the start of the show she said she could do with £1000 extra a week and it would be sad if she had to close the shop, when things weren't going her way she suddenly didnt need the extra £1000 a week and the shop was doing well.
You are right, kids probably do still love all those home made sticky cakes and we all know that proper bakeries produce better products. Also while we werent told what time of day Mary got there it was clear the bakery was out of bread but there were plenty of cakes left over, if bread is her big seller (and it usually is) then the simple suggestion of making more should have gone down well, it didnt, because Angela couldnt take any advice at all.
Does anyone live in Raynes Park or its environs, and can Photobucket some pics of the shop after its refit?
I lived in nearby Surbiton for nearly 20 years. Some comments from people who live in Raynes Park.
"Mahers is my local baker. It's struggling because it's in a shit location on a sidestreet and it's got competition from Greggs and Starbucks by the station, and the Co-op's also opened up a hot food section.
It is, however, a gem of a place where you can get a cup of decent coffee and a sticky bun for less than a couple of quid. It does good bacon sarnies in the morning too. And on Halloween it throws a party where all the trick-or-treaters meet up for mulled wine and cake. "
"There's a Greggs round the corner on Coombe Lane. There's also an excellent bakery that does the best croissants I've tasted outside France, and passable pains au chocolat."
You are right, kids probably do still love all those home made sticky cakes and we all know that proper bakeries produce better products.
I love cakes, I love food, I love eating nearly everything edible. I even gave myself food poisoning once by eating left over prawn balls that i forgot to put in the fridge after the night befores takeway. Basically - I will eat nearly anything. But I would not not NOT eat her cakes. They looked jank. And di you see the way she was icing those iced fingers? No gloves man! Just using her crusty bare hards to knock the icing off. Icky. Aaaaaah - maybe THATS why they're iced fingers.
I love cakes, I love food, I love eating nearly everything edible. I even gave myself food poisoning once by eating left over prawn balls that i forgot to put in the fridge after the night befores takeway. Basically - I will eat nearly anything. But I would not not NOT eat her cakes. They looked jank. And di you see the way she was icing those iced fingers? No gloves man! Just using her crusty bare hards to knock the icing off. Icky. Aaaaaah - maybe THATS why they're iced fingers.
Oooh, yuk.
I was thinking the same myself. Wonder if they've had an inspection from the local environmental health after seeing that?
She may have come across as a 'silly old trout', but she has also run a successful buisiness, employing what looked like quite a few people, for a long time (was it 36 years?). I think all she was looking for was a bit of real acknowledgement of the things that were working well, instead of the repeated implication that she didn't know what she was doing.
Apply for a TV show to get a pat on the back and to be told how great she is at what she does ?
If that's the case, then she's getting dumber and dumber in my eyes.
This ignorant woman wasted a golden opportunity that plenty of others in this economic climate would have given their right arm for. Silly old trout indeed. Her son needs to grow a pair as well.
I love cakes, I love food, I love eating nearly everything edible. I even gave myself food poisoning once by eating left over prawn balls that i forgot to put in the fridge after the night befores takeway. Basically - I will eat nearly anything. But I would not not NOT eat her cakes. They looked jank. And di you see the way she was icing those iced fingers? No gloves man! Just using her crusty bare hards to knock the icing off. Icky. Aaaaaah - maybe THATS why they're iced fingers.
That is her problem she is doing it "the old fashioned way". I was brought up in my dads bakery and in the 60's and 70's there wasnt a glove or hairnet in sight. Not wearing gloves wasnt an issue as hands were always clean, however it is now and I am sure environmental health would be concerned.
To say her cakes looked "jank" (whatever that means) is a bit harsh. Yes the finishing wasnt great, some of the faces were wonky and the jam was pouring over the tart cases but I bet she hasnt made many people ill, if she did then she wouldnt be in business now, she would have been closed down.
The only concern I would have was the fact her baker worked all night on his own, I am sure that is illegal, it was in 1990 my dad had to have 2 people in the bakery overnight, otherwise he couldnt operate.
That had to be the most frustrating:mad: piece of TV, I have watched this year so far... Why ask a professional women to come into your business, only to pooh-pooh every positive suggestion from said professional, that was intended to take her business forward? Angela; is cut from a very old cloth, and needs to get real, her idea of a bakers in steeped in the 70's, now far be it for me to criticise a woman who in her own words at least 20 times ' I have been in the business for 36 years! Well you may well have been in business for as long as I have been on this planet, but quite clearly your business is failing, and like the dinosaurs, you will eventually disappear, unless you move with the times dear. NB: There is a Waitrose opening up 400 yards away, why would you buy inferior product at an outdated Bakers, when you can buy better, and cheaper at the supermarket. I do believe that the supermarkets are killing the high street, but I'm also a realist, and in today's economic climate, even I have to go to the supermarket, as I cannot afford to pay inflated prices at local level and keep the bread on the table. :eek: As for her employee, I think she should think herself very lucky to have such a loyal employee, who wants to work harder to ensure his place of employment, yet she callously shun his abilities. If only that man had the enterprise to start up against her; he clearly is an open minded man; who after all his years as a baker would know what makes the dough!
Heh. Did this episode drive you to make your first post in all this time you have been a member? (Assuming that date of joining shown beside your username is correct.) :eek:
Rather than comment on Angela personally, I'll comment on the shop, which I have been into several times. Let me tell you, that place is a goldmine, every time I've been in there it's packed.
And guess what, those sickly sticky cakes that you loved as a kid in the 70's, well kids still love them today funnily enough. I'd rather buy a freshly made (but slightly imperfect) 'smiley biscuit' from a bakers than a uniformly perfect one made in a factory.
Yes, they should have tapped into the 'Artisan Bread' scene a little earlier, but they do have a section for speciality breads now. Even if made from a mix, the good yummy mummies of Raynes park will pay a premium for them (until Waitrose opens anyway!)
Normally these programs focus on failing businesses, but Maher is not failing, and therfore Angela had no need to take on the advice of someone if she did not want to. Don't get me wrong, I'm not sticking up for her, her attitude was appalling at times, but (as some people have already suggested) there's more to this than just what we saw.
Oh, that's another thing about the programme I noticed: all this talk about yummy mummies etc. I've never thought of Raynes Park as a particularly yummy sort of place. I think it was even referred to as West Wimbledon, unless I misheard. Were they portraying Raynes Park as a Wimbledon Village sort of place?
Normally these programs focus on failing businesses, but Maher is not failing, and therfore Angela had no need to take on the advice of someone if she did not want to. Don't get me wrong, I'm not sticking up for her, her attitude was appalling at times, but (as some people have already suggested) there's more to this than just what we saw.
But if she didn't want Mary's advice then why did she bother applying for the show? If all she wanted was a quick shop refit then she applied for the wrong programme.
To say her cakes looked "jank" (whatever that means) is a bit harsh. Yes the finishing wasnt great, some of the faces were wonky and the jam was pouring over the tart cases but I bet she hasnt made many people ill, if she did then she wouldnt be in business now, she would have been closed down.
When I say they looked jank I meant they looked very unappetizing. I mean - hundreds and thousands - REALLY? Ick!
And my concern about her touching the icing wasn't really about the health and saftey side (although I'm sure you have to wear gloves and hair nets nowadays) but more about some ignorant old hag fingering my iced fingers!
Comments
It is clear that all she wanted was a re launched shop and in particular a new floor. When she realised the programme was about more than just cosmetics she wasnt interested.
I know a bit about the baking game and with a supermarket around the corner she really has to up her game. My dads old shop was sold as a going concern in 1990 making a healthy profit, however in 1997 it went bust when Morrisons opened up, the new owners did not head my dads advice to make new breads and update the cake selection, my dads shop is now a charity shop, most of the independant bakeries around here are closed - Angela missed a great opportunity!
And guess what, those sickly sticky cakes that you loved as a kid in the 70's, well kids still love them today funnily enough. I'd rather buy a freshly made (but slightly imperfect) 'smiley biscuit' from a bakers than a uniformly perfect one made in a factory.
Yes, they should have tapped into the 'Artisan Bread' scene a little earlier, but they do have a section for speciality breads now. Even if made from a mix, the good yummy mummies of Raynes park will pay a premium for them (until Waitrose opens anyway!)
Normally these programs focus on failing businesses, but Maher is not failing, and therfore Angela had no need to take on the advice of someone if she did not want to. Don't get me wrong, I'm not sticking up for her, her attitude was appalling at times, but (as some people have already suggested) there's more to this than just what we saw.
Wonder why she called the team in then?
Also if the place really is a 'goldmine' why didn't she just fork out for the refurb herself in the first place?
I have never seen the programme before, but I would imagine the formula is the same as The Hotel Inspector or Ramsay's KM ? Failing underperforming business calls in the experts and they offer tips and advice to turn the company around.
Imagine the amount of people who genuinely wanted the expertise of Mary to help their ailing businesses. all she wanted was a new floor and an extra £1000 a week.
Angela should be ashamed of her behaviour. I always support local shops, but if I lived in the area I would walk 2 miles for a loaf rather than give that ungrateful mare any of my hard earned cash.
When first meeting Paul he said "...I ihave been in this business X amount of years and I am still learning, any baker who tells you they know everything and have nothing more to learn are lying".
That isn't a direct quote, but he did say words very close to that. I can't remember how many years he said he was doing it because, unlike Angela, he didn't go on about it every 2 minutes. Although, I forget to be honest - how many years has she been in business? The number 36 springs to mind for some reason.
Anyways.... my point. This just shows how brilliant an attitude Paul has, he knows that even though he is skilled, he has loads to learn and is very enthusiastic and eager to do so. Angela in stark contrast thinks she knows it all and that nobody can teach her anything. She could learn a thing or two from Paul, but that's not going to happen...after all, she's been in business for 36 years (I think) and he hasn't - once he's been in this business for 36 years - THEN he can talk to her about it.
In fairness, the shop owner made it very clear at the beginning of the programme that this was not a failing business. The production team could have made a swift exit had they so wished.
My guess is that they knew this would make good TV (and it did). So, rather than be honest with her from the beginning about the style of the programme, they decided to plough on regardless, knowing they were heading for a great deal of conflict.
There's only one thing more pathetic than a young idiot, and that's an old idiot. That woman deserves her business failing. Silly old trout!
She may have come across as a 'silly old trout', but she has also run a successful buisiness, employing what looked like quite a few people, for a long time (was it 36 years?). I think all she was looking for was a bit of real acknowledgement of the things that were working well, instead of the repeated implication that she didn't know what she was doing.
To be fair, Mary's commentary stated that the business's profits had halved in 5 years, so it was hardly in a healthy financial state.
It was plain from the beginning all Angela wanted was a refit, and when Mary told her that wasn't her game, Angela threw her toys out of the pram. If she'd accepted Mary's ideas, ditched some of the out of date products that she was selling and tried to make more bread than cakes, she might have got somewhere. If she could manage a refit in the end out of her own money, why didn't she do it years ago?
Just because your business isn't failing it doesn't mean you can't improve it, which is what she wanted to do - but without actually making any changes!
Also - do you really think it is as easy as just up and leaving when it comes to filming a tv show? These things are planned months and months in advance and it probably would have been too late to arrange something else. It would have been a real waste of resources.
Angela didn't even know anything about the accounts and she admitted herself that she wasn't making any profit "...I make enough to pay tha wages but thats about it...". So yea, I'd call that a failing business - your business doesn;t have to be losing money to be failing. The whole point is to make a profit, so if you're not - FAIL!
If Angela didn't want help or change then she shouldn't have applied for the show. I find it hard to believe you would appear on a show without first researching what the show was and I also find it hard to believe that she wasn;t told exactly what it entailed. She did blatantly just want a free refit and publicity.
I said to my boyrfriend, she is cutting her nose off to spite her face (perfect analogy I think) and at the end of the day if she wasn't so stubborn and proud, she could have gone ahead with the changes and show and changed it all back after had she wanted. She wasn't even willing to give it a try. She wasted a brilliant opportunity and a chance for some GOOD publicity.
In which case she applied to be on the wrong show = silly old trout.
Are you related or something? I'm just trying to understand why you would be attempting to condone her poor, poor behaviour.
The fact is at the start of the show she said she could do with £1000 extra a week and it would be sad if she had to close the shop, when things weren't going her way she suddenly didnt need the extra £1000 a week and the shop was doing well.
You are right, kids probably do still love all those home made sticky cakes and we all know that proper bakeries produce better products. Also while we werent told what time of day Mary got there it was clear the bakery was out of bread but there were plenty of cakes left over, if bread is her big seller (and it usually is) then the simple suggestion of making more should have gone down well, it didnt, because Angela couldnt take any advice at all.
I lived in nearby Surbiton for nearly 20 years. Some comments from people who live in Raynes Park.
"Mahers is my local baker. It's struggling because it's in a shit location on a sidestreet and it's got competition from Greggs and Starbucks by the station, and the Co-op's also opened up a hot food section.
It is, however, a gem of a place where you can get a cup of decent coffee and a sticky bun for less than a couple of quid. It does good bacon sarnies in the morning too. And on Halloween it throws a party where all the trick-or-treaters meet up for mulled wine and cake. "
"There's a Greggs round the corner on Coombe Lane. There's also an excellent bakery that does the best croissants I've tasted outside France, and passable pains au chocolat."
I love cakes, I love food, I love eating nearly everything edible. I even gave myself food poisoning once by eating left over prawn balls that i forgot to put in the fridge after the night befores takeway. Basically - I will eat nearly anything. But I would not not NOT eat her cakes. They looked jank. And di you see the way she was icing those iced fingers? No gloves man! Just using her crusty bare hards to knock the icing off. Icky. Aaaaaah - maybe THATS why they're iced fingers.
Oooh, yuk.
I was thinking the same myself. Wonder if they've had an inspection from the local environmental health after seeing that?
Apply for a TV show to get a pat on the back and to be told how great she is at what she does ?
If that's the case, then she's getting dumber and dumber in my eyes.
This ignorant woman wasted a golden opportunity that plenty of others in this economic climate would have given their right arm for. Silly old trout indeed. Her son needs to grow a pair as well.
To say her cakes looked "jank" (whatever that means) is a bit harsh. Yes the finishing wasnt great, some of the faces were wonky and the jam was pouring over the tart cases but I bet she hasnt made many people ill, if she did then she wouldnt be in business now, she would have been closed down.
The only concern I would have was the fact her baker worked all night on his own, I am sure that is illegal, it was in 1990 my dad had to have 2 people in the bakery overnight, otherwise he couldnt operate.
Heh. Did this episode drive you to make your first post in all this time you have been a member? (Assuming that date of joining shown beside your username is correct.) :eek:
Oh, that's another thing about the programme I noticed: all this talk about yummy mummies etc. I've never thought of Raynes Park as a particularly yummy sort of place. I think it was even referred to as West Wimbledon, unless I misheard. Were they portraying Raynes Park as a Wimbledon Village sort of place?
When I say they looked jank I meant they looked very unappetizing. I mean - hundreds and thousands - REALLY? Ick!
And my concern about her touching the icing wasn't really about the health and saftey side (although I'm sure you have to wear gloves and hair nets nowadays) but more about some ignorant old hag fingering my iced fingers!
36 years? What gave you that impression?