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The kitchen role
by Ro Barratt2/ 6/2006
WHEN Louise Duerr was planning a kitchen extension two years
ago, she couldn't have imagined it would become the nerve centre of
her new business producing homemade organic baby food for
restaurants.
Between 9am and 3pm every day, Louise's kitchen becomes a
professional working unit where her business partner Anne Morris,
head chef Hayley and assistant chef Andrew prepare and cook the
menus for BabyDeli.
Although food manufacturing is in the family - Louise's husband,
Mark, is MD of Wythenshawe-based F Duerr and Sons - BabyDeli was
born out of Louise's frustrations at not being able to feed her
babies fresh, wholesome food when eating out in restaurants.
She found a kindred spirit in fellow mum Anne, who she met at a
local toddler group. The pair joined forces and in just over a year
BabyDeli has gone from strength to strength.
They started by making organic purees for home delivery to busy
mums, but this quickly expanded to restaurants and department
stores after a successful meeting with the restaurant manager at
children's store Daisy & Tom.
Louise says: "This time last year it was just Anne and me in my
kitchen cooking two or three mornings. Now we're cooking every day
and have two staff.
"It seemed the practical solution to use my kitchen. It's large and
filled with light and although it was designed before the concept
of BabyDeli got off the ground, it couldn't have worked out better.
The layout with the central island lends itself perfectly to the
process of food preparation, cooking and distribution."
Due to health and safety regulations, Louise has to confine all the
cooking to the times when her children Tally, five, and Max, three,
are at school and nursery.
But after three o'clock the kitchen turns back into being the hub
of family life.
Since moving into their four-bedroom detached home in Hale Barns
nine years ago, Louise and Mark have carried out a series of
improvements.
Built in 1975 in a neo-Georgian style, the house was in need of
dramatic updating. Stuck in a 1970s' time warp it still had the
original kitchen and bathroom and woodchip throughout.
"The house was stuck and the couple wasted no time in getting
started. To document the transformation of the house, Louise kept a
detailed scrapbook with pictures taken along the way.
"When we first came here, the house was stuck in a 1970s'
time-warp," says recalls Louise. "It still had the original kitchen
and bathrooms and woodchip throughout; all over the walls and
ceilings. We stripped all this off and lived in the house with
floorboards and bare walls while we did one room at a time."
Prepared
Over the years the kitchen has seen many changes. The first phase
saw them take out a wall between the original kitchen and utility
room. When the children came along, they knocked this wall through
and turned the dining room into a playroom.
"Family life changes everything and we decided that we needed to
create a much bigger living and dining space.
"I can remember sitting out on the grass one summer's day and
visualising the kitchen as it is now. I saw a wall of glass on the
back with a sloping roof and skylights. I came inside and drew a
sketch and then we went to architect George Tsiantar, in
Altrincham, who drew up the plans."
Louise and Mark had their maple kitchen units supplied and fitted
by Manor Cabinet, in Hale.
"We settled for a bank at one end incorporating the sink,
dishwasher and oven and a central island with cupboards that had a
built-in hob. This works wonderfully because I can be cooking while
keeping an eye on the children in the garden. The glass breakfast
bar also makes it a nice, social space.
"For the flooring we chose Chinese slate because the colours toned
well with the wood units and the granite work top. We also opted
for an entire wall of sliding doors all of which open and help to
bring the garden into the house. The end result is exactly what I
had imagined."
Once the BabyDeli meals have been prepared, there is still much
activity in Louise's kitchen. There are boxes being filled with
bags of Tommee Tippee bowls and spoons and Messy Packs with wipes
and disposable bibs from Simple Baby - all available with a
BabyDeli meal.
"The service we provide is unique because it's a whole package,"
explains Louise. "It would be unthinkable that we, as adults, would
walk into a restaurant and have to provide our own plates,
crockery, serviettes and food and then have to beg for our food to
be warmed for us.
"Unfortunately, this what parents of babies and toddlers have to
consider when they want to eat out together in restaurants."
As the Jamie Oliver effect gathers momentum and more parents are
becoming conscious of feeding their children healthy, nutritious
food, Louise and Anne are finding that their BabyDeli concept is
tapping into a gap in the "tiny diner" market.
In the next few weeks, the company will be moving into commercial
business premises.
"We've set up BabyDeli on a shoestring and it wouldn't have been
possible to establish it without using my kitchen," concludes
Louise. "However, now we're moving to the next stage and now I'm
really looking forward to getting my kitchen and my home back and
I'm sure my husband and children are too!"
The BabyDeli menu is available at Daisy & Tom, Debenhams,
Manchester, Museum of Science & Industry, Café Muse (Manchester
Museum), Manchester Art Gallery, Barton Grange Garden Centre,
Dunham Massey, Chester Zoo, Blue Planet Aquarium and Tatton Park
among others
BabyDeli can be contacted on 07845 936207
www.babydeli.co.uk
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