This is why Paul Hollywood closed his bread business

A long-time judge on the Netflix series “The Great British Bake Off” (aka “The Great British Baking Show”) and the American version “The Great American Baking Show”, and star of a few of his own television series, British Bread and cake expert Paul Hollywood is about as Hollywood as it gets in the food world. Hollywood is definitely a famous baker. Only, it seems that with the closure of his business, The Paul Hollywood Artisan Bread Company, he has let the celebrity part of his job take precedence over the baking part.

Hollywood comes from a very long line of bakers: it was his father who convinced him to join the family business, after which he worked as head baker in some of England’s most exclusive hotels. Over time, Hollywood has built a reputation as one of the best bakers in the country. He opened his artisan bread business in Kent, England, in 2007 after studying traditional baking in Cyprus, Jordan and Egypt, but it closed seven years later in 2014. Accumulating debts of more than £60,000 (about $76,000), Hollywood reportedly said. the business had become a huge headache and problem, which he said was because he wasn’t around enough.

It appears the money problems are a side effect of a bigger problem: Hollywood’s TV commitments have kept him from running the company. After all, how could a bakery named after Paul Hollywood operate successfully without its manager? Too bad, yes. But perhaps it was also inevitable.

Read more: 23 Whole Foods Baked Goods, Ranked

What went wrong for Paul Hollywood’s Artisan Bread Company?

The Paul Hollywood Artisan Bread Company supplied bread to Harrods and Waitrose before it closed. A loaf, which Hollywood reportedly dubbed the Rolls Royce of bread, was made with Grade A flour and imported French cheese. It sold for £15 (about $19), making it the most expensive bread in the United Kingdom at the time. An almond sourdough sold at a similar price. Could these prices provide some insight into why the Hollywood venture failed? Maybe. But that wasn’t the last of his shortcomings in the bread business. Its first bakery in London, Knead Bakery and Coffee, was demolished in 2017. Then, in 2019, two baked goods – Paul Hollywood Wholegrain and White Country Loaves – were withdrawn from Tesco due to lack of demand. Its only product that appears to still be on Tesco’s shelves is a range of ready-to-bake Paul Hollywood buns, although at last check they were not available online.

Despite its shortcomings in the bread business, Hollywood hasn’t slowed down on its celebrity commitments. He continues to appear as a television judge on “The Great American Baking Show,” as he has since the premiere. In 2020, Hollywood also launched its culinary travelogue and published its first book in five years: “BAKE”. He was even made an MBE by Princess Anne in 2024 for his services to baking and broadcasting – note, not for running successful bakeries. And, aside from his controversial stance that banana bread isn’t bread, his status as a star baker seems unshakeable.

Read the original article on the tasting table