Farm Bakery: New Southsea bakery brings mix of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean delicacies

Farm Bakery has opened its doors on Palmerston Road, just across the road from the owners already established restaurant, Farm Kitchen. Anver and Hatun Tayker have been planning the opening of the bakery for over a year and are delighted to finally welcome customers.

It was the restaurants loyal customer base that gave the couple the idea to open the bakery. Giving them a chance to showcase a mix of cultural delicacies just as they have done at Farm Kitchen. Anver said: “This is an extension to Farm Kitchen, we have been there quite a few years and the customers have been asking us why don't we do a bakery with the same middle eastern and Mediterranean flavours.

“That is what we did, we do middle eastern bakeries but also do French pastries, birthday cakes. We have tried to mix up the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cultures and give people an option.

The bakery had a soft opening on Monday and the response has taken Hatun and Anver aback. Hatun said: “To be honest, I’m so surprised, everyone has been so happy. Whenever people come in and see the product, they are wanting to try everything. Their reaction has been really good and welcoming. I’m so happy to see that. It has been my goal to open a bakery and to see peoples happy faces and good feedback, it has been great.”

Anver concurred with his wife, adding how the culture of the area has seen locals embrace the new flavours. He said: “We have had great feedback. The Southsea public is cosmopolitan, they are always happy to try new things. People have been commenting that they feel like they are in Italy, or in Turkey, or even Belgrade. Its great to hear, we are really happy that we have been able to mix all of the cultures together.”

One of their speciality bakes is a burek which has roots with Balkan, Middle Eastern and Central Asian tradition. It has similar consistency to filo pastry and can have a number of different fillings. Anver said: “The Borek is a traditional pastry that was common in the Balkan and Turkey, they would fill the pastry with whatever they had available.

“In Turkey it is traditionally cooked on a stone like a fireplace. You warm up the stone and place a metal lid over over it, then pile the ash over the top. It would make the pastry much crispier, obviously we don't use a stone fireplace but we use a stone oven to get the same effect.”

While the bakery has only been opened this week, it seems to have made a big impression on Southsea locals who are delighted with the new tastes.