Named after the Fort William weather, Rain Bakery started out as a small family affair in 2021.
Almost exactly 18 months later, the high street business is jostling for awards.
Here, owner Steven Traill shares the story behind his journey from chef to baker.
He lets us in on the journey in putting Fort William on Scotland’s foodie bucket list.
Rain is a family-owned bakery appropriately named after what ‘Fort William was already famous for’: its weather.
Steven works in a small team alongside his wife Katherine and his father-in-law. Since opening in May 2021 the team have worked hard to establish themselves locally.
Rain Bakery hope to ‘stride ahead’ in the future, and be recognised as one of the ‘best wee cafes’ in the Highlands.
Steven comes from a chef background, which he says is very different to baking.
What’s the difference?
Having now worked in both fields, Steven reflects on his move from cheffing to baking, and how he has taken his expertise with him.
Quality, taste and freshness are just some of the many aspects Rain Bakery pride themselves on. “There is a high standard I want to go for – people do appreciate that, and they do see that.”
However, baked goods – pastries in particular – are notoriously difficult to make.
He confesses the main difficulty in baking lies in its unpredictability – “you can have a recipe, but that’s a lie!”
What’s the showstopper?
The thing he is most proud of is his pain au chocolat.
Inspired by a trip to London, Steven noted a particular bakery made pain au chocolats that were “showstopper” sized.
“When I first started ours were a smaller size,” he says. “Now we do a larger sized one and they go out every day.”
As well as pain au chocolats, Rain Bakery offers other modern takes including the popular cinnamon cruffin.
Baker of the Year nomination was ‘fantastic for the community’
Recently, the Baking Industry Awards were hosted in London. Steven was a nominee for Baker of the Year, showing Rain’s hard work has paid off.
Steven was “excited” to be a finalist, and said he believed the nomination was “fantastic for the local community”.
Like other local eateries, Rain Bakery is not only keen to put themselves out there but also Fort William.
They are positive the nomination will help to further establish Fort William’s presence as a food hotspot in the Highlands.
After attending the ceremony in London, the team shared their congratulations to award winner Peter Cooks Bread on their Facebook page.
Evening events are on the horizon
Now the summer season has ended, Steven is looking ahead to what’s coming next. Last October, Rain hosted its first evening event which was by all accounts a success.
Although there is not an official date for an evening event this year, it’s most likely to happen this winter.
“I don’t know what style I’m going to do just yet, but an evening event is on the calendar,” confirms Steven.
Updates on future evening events and other Rain Bakery-related news can be found on their Facebook page and Instagram account.
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