Its all about the BREAD!

The price of a loaf of Bread in Jamaica has changed dramatically over the last ten years that I have lived here.

The cost of living as always inflates at a higher rate than the average wage and the charges for services over the years has changed very little. So there fore it would be safe to presume that most people are still earning a similar amount

If it were not for the places in the local community where I live at the moment in Kingston.  Such as Lecky's Bakery on Jackson road, Better Bite on Deanery Road and the small shops that allow a customer to purchase a half bread or even a quarter of bread, Grotto Bread for $80-130, Mangoose Bread for $50 or $100, Gaza bread or Peg bread, as it is sometimes called, specially manufactured for smaller budgets, most persons would have to do without or possibly revert to baking their own, Maybe?

Some of the small local bakeries, manufacturers of pastries and bread products and bread retailers still produce specialty small breads and loaves. Including some Jamaican specialties and culinary innovations that, with the exception of the main export the World Famous, Easter Bun, are only available locally, including Cheese Bun (Bun with the addition of Cheese in the centre), and the similarly stuffed; Cheese Bread, Coconut Bread; a sweet coconut pastry bread, and Raisin Bread, made by a wide selection of small and large producers, some of the most popular names, who are most widely distributed island-wide and could be considered the main competitors in this market include; Honey Bun, Holsum, Dr Lushus, Yummy and Totally Delicious. Yummy has recently re-branded their bread products again with the new improved "Yummy" bunny logo. Although it should be noted that National (Continental Baking Company) actually produce and own the Yummy, Holsum, Healthy Start and HTB brands.

Currently Captains Bakery is still a favourite place to buy bread for most Jamaicans and the Captain's Bakery is really a household name for bread. Small loaves of Wheat/White start at $270. Still I discovered that in Crossroads there is a small bakery Everybody's Bakery that sells small 1lb loaves of bread, both Bran and White for only $130, and they slice it too! It tastes really great and is definitely the most reasonably priced fresh loaf of Brown bread that I have found so far. Costing about the same as the average Grotto bread retail price. Purity also have a small loaf, Valentine Bread for only $150 which is very reasonable as well as their tasty French style Grotto breads.

National Bakery the nations most popular and largest bread producer sell their hard-dough bread for on average $300.

So I want to do a comparison of my own how much does it cost, to bake a loaf of Wholemeal bread or White bread in comparison to how much it costs to purchase one? I will follow up on this posting with that comparison once I am able to find a good place to conduct my experiment. As unfortunately at my current location I don't have the necessary equipment or space.

I remember when I was a child my Mother would lovingly raise the dough and bake our own bread at home in the oven to my pleasure and amazement, I would wait and watch the dough rize and wait for the freshly baked bread to cool. It really does taste extraordinarily different when it is baked at home.

And speaking of Bread and baking at home.. I cant write about Bread and not think of Bread and Butter pudding. Oh my God! Another family homemade favourite, especially when the bread was stale and needed using up. What is comparable to the magical transformation that takes place when old, stale especially and even slightly moldy bread is soaked in water/milk and spices and mixed with fruits or various combinations with butter and baked in the oven. In no time at all a most pleasant, hearty, rich pudding is produced, which served with creamy, vanilla custard is one of my most favourite comfort foods.