Why there is a box of yesterday at half price

There is a cardboard box on the end of the counter from about half two. It has whatever is left in it and it costs five pounds. It is not a secret menu item and it is not a marketing exercise. It is what is left.

We bake once

Some shops bake in batches through the day so the shelves always look full at five o'clock. We tried it for two months in our first year. It meant guessing demand four times a day instead of once, and it meant the four o'clock bake was always the worst one, because it was made by someone who had been on their feet since five in the morning.

So we bake once, early, and when it is gone it is gone. The cost of that honesty is that we are often sold out by two.

The box

What does not sell goes in the box. Half price, no choosing, no swapping. On a good day there are three bagels in it. On a wet Tuesday there are twenty.

The box is not charity and we do not want it framed as such. It is simply priced at what day-old stock is worth, which is less than fresh stock.

What we do not do

We do not bin anything that is still good. Whatever is left when we close goes to a local food project on Thursdays and Sundays, and to whoever is outside on the other days. We do not photograph this and we would rather not discuss it further.

What we would like

Come in before two if you want a choice. Come in after half two if you want a bargain. Both are fine, and we would rather you knew which one you were doing.