All Saint’s Church, Whitstable
by
This year’s blessing will take place on at 2pm on Friday 1st of August under the Yew Tree at All Saints Church, Church Street, Whitstable. It will be presided over by the Reverend Simon Tillotson, accompanied by local artist and Nature Priestess, Hélène Williams. The loaf will be distributed on the parade the following day.
When I first became involved with the Whitstable Carnival, in 2018, I instigated a new ritual: the blessing of the Lammas loaf.
Lammas is an ancient Anglo-Saxon festival that traditionally takes place on the 1st August. It coincides with another ancient festival originating in the Celtic world, called Lughnasadh.
‘Lughnasadh’ means ‘Assembly of the Sun’, while ‘Lammas’ means ‘Loaf Mass’. Both are harvest festivals meant to mark the grain harvest.
I approached Hubbard’s bakery to bake the loaf, and the Reverend Simon Tillotson to bless it. The blessing took place at All Saint’s Church in 2019. We’ve been following the tradition ever since.
Hubbard’s
The reason I approached Hubbard’s was because it’s been in Whitstable almost as long as I have. It’s a family run business, owned by Mark and Briony Hubbard. I’ve been seeing these two on the High Street for as long as I can remember.
I decided I wanted to talk to them, to thank them for all they’ve done for the carnival. I met them in Tea and Times. I arrived first and ordered a tea cake. “That’s looks delicious,” said Mark, with a twinkle.
It took a second or two for me to twig. “It’s one of yours!” I said, and he laughed.
Mark was born in Whitstable. Briony moved here from Rochester when she was 13. They’ve been married for 38 years and have two children and three grandchildren.
Mark did his apprenticeship in Snooks bakery, in what is now Gilbert’s Cafe, he told me. They started off baking from home and delivering door to door. Later they had a unit on the Joseph Wilson Industrial Estate behind Tesco, and Mark delivered with a van.
They took over their current location in 1993, taking out a private mortgage with the owners. For the first ten years Mark did all of the baking himself. He was on his feet 18 hours a day. Since then they have taken on a team of bakers: five in all, including their son.
I like this couple. They understood the idea of the Lammas loaf straight away. They understand the need for tradition. They have never asked for money. When I offered them expenses they turned it down. “Put it back into the carnival,” they said.
They are the model of a small family business, trying to be as inclusive as possible. Mark spoke about the importance of bread for the life of the community. “A good bakery is there for anyone and everyone,” he said.
They spoke about covid. They were open the whole time. The shop became a social hub. People would queue up outside and come into the shop one at a time. While they were buying their bread they would chat. For some people it was their only contact with another human being all day.
“A lot of people appreciated us for that,” said Briony.
They have kept to their values, making bread in the traditional way. There are four ingredients in a sourdough loaf, they tell me: water, flour, salt and time.
Time is the most important. It takes 10-12 hours for the bread to be ready for the oven. This happens in two stages. At the end of the shift a batch is prepared and then put into a cooler for storage. At 2am it is removed and left to prove for the rest of the night. In the morning it goes into the oven. After that it is ready for sale.
Their current sourdough culture is 12 years old. You have to feed it daily, they tell me. It’s like an animal. It likes a rhythm. If you break the rhythm or forget to feed it, it will die. Briony says it reminds her of a Tamagotchi, one of those digital toys from the 90s that are constantly pestering you for attention. Their previous culture died after one of their bakers forgot to feed it while they were on holiday. He resigned in shame. He knew what he’d done was unforgivable. “It was almost like losing one of my kids,” said Mark, with only a slight note of exaggeration.
sustainable
It’s a measure of their commitment to a sustainable future that Mark has given up delivering bread by van, and has started using a bike once again. He has an electric bike, pulling a trailer. He’s been doing this for the last year and a half, scooting around, delivering bread and cakes to local businesses.
I ask them about Grain and Hearth, the newer baker on Oxford Street. Mark welcomes them. When Hubbard’s first took over the current premises there were four bakers on the High Street. One by one they have all closed down. For a long time theirs was the only one. Now if someone comes into their shop asking for something they can’t cater for, they can always direct them up the road. “It takes the pressure off,” says Mark.
I’m not at all surprised by this generosity of spirit. It’s what makes Whitstable what it is.
“I’m still happy in the town,” says Mark. “Still enjoying the job.”
Hubbard’s: family Owned Bakery since 1992
63 High Street, Whitstable, United Kingdom
Phone: 01227 772060
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057251327493
Blessing
This year’s blessing will take place on at 2pm on Friday 1st of August under the Yew Tree at All Saints Church, Church Street, Whitstable. It will be presided over by the Reverend Simon Tillotson, accompanied by local artist and Nature Priestess, Hélène Williams, and a small congregation. The loaf will be distributed on the parade the following day.
Rev Simon is very supportive of our carnival and its ethos. This is what he says:
“In a world where conflict seems to be driving people further apart, it is so important that communities come together. Carnivals are the most fun and effective ways of doing this. The various arts and community groups that make up our society parade their floats, or walk as groups, together through the heart of our town in a spirit of light-hearted, joyful, playful celebration. For me this is a deeply spiritual recognition of the sanctity of all life, regardless of ethnic, religious, and political definition. We are all brought together by carnival. If only our world could more deeply embody the spirit of carnival, what a happier place it would be.”
Please come along and enjoy this moment of celebration as we mark the turning of the year through its seasons, and in anticipation of this year’s carnival.
On the day…
The 128th anniversary CARNIVAL takes place on Saturday 2nd August 2025. Assemble along Pier Avenue and Northwood Road from 3-3.30pm.
HQ for the day will be at 15 Pier Avenue, in a gazebo in the garden.
LATE ENTRIES are accepted on the day till 4.00pm, but it will help to register early with the entry form in the program or on the website: https://whitstablecarnival.co.uk. Sign in at HQ and then find your place in the procession.
JUDGING starts at 4.15 prompt. All entries must be in position by 4.00.
CARNIVAL ENTRIES: please approach along Northwood Road from its junction with Tower Parade/Tankerton Road (where the laundrette is).
COLLECTING TINS and collecting buckets will be available from HQ.
THE PROCESSION starts at 5.30, passing Tankerton Circus at 5.40, Tower Parade 5.50, the Duke of Cumberland 6.10 and the East Kent at 6.30. These times are approximate. You should be at your vantage point early to get a good view. Please don’t let children run into the road as the procession passes.
PLEASE DO NOT THROW COINS as this has been known to damage property and is one of the reasons carnival has been less well attended in recent years. If you would like to make a donation, please put your coins in the collecting tins as they pass. All money received on the day will go to our participating charities.
ALTERNATIVELY you can DONATE via the QR Code to the right. Off The Wall Club is managing these donations for Whitstable Carnival.
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