Market Report: Smoothies and Pastries

In this issue’s Market Report, Grace Wang takes us to the Oxford Bakehouse who came to Calgary via England and are located in the Crossroads Market. Equally delightful is Raw by Robyn in First Street Market who makes eating healthy while maintaining a healthy lifestyle, easy peasy.

Oxford Bakehouse

One bite into Oxford Bakehouse’s signature sausage rolls and you know you’re tasting something truly special. Flavoured with onions and sage, the house-made pork sausage is tender and juicy. The sausage is wrapped in buttery, flaky, from-scratch puff pastry baked to golden perfection. According to the May family, who run the Oxford Bakehouse, these bite-sized sausage rolls have been their bestsellers from the start.

Oxford Bakehouse started off in England as the Handmade Cake Company, with Suzanne May and her mother at the helm. When Suzanne moved to Canada, she quickly began receiving requests for her baking. From classic scones to custard tarts to a rotating slew of cakes, the May family’s talent for baking is easy to see. Suzanne, Tom, Bethany, and Eleanor May run the kitchen, while Natalie Morris mans the counter. As Suzanne says, “We all love working together because it is lovely to have a job where you can be creative and make products that make people happy.”

The Oxford Bakehouse joined Crossroads Market this past Christmas, and Cornish pasties have become a market favourite. These pocket-sized pies stuffed with beef, onions, potatoes and swede are delicious. While their savoury offerings are an absolute delight, Oxford Bakehouse’s sweeter treats are not to be missed either. The bakery offers different cakes by the slice weekly and always has the classic Victoria sandwich cake on offer (an airy vanilla sponge cake with a generous layer of buttercream and jam).

Now, excuse me while I finish scarfing down these sausage rolls!

Raw by Robyn

Calgary’s bustling First Street Market is where you’ll find Raw by Robyn, a stall serving delicious and healthy smoothies, juices and salads. Four years ago, Robyn Taylor started selling smoothies online and soon branched into fresh-pressed juices before opening a storefront on 15th Ave. S.W. Smoothies at Raw by Robyn are wildly creative and filled with loads of fruits and vegetables — who couldn’t use a little help getting their daily dose of greens?

Robyn says she created Raw by Robyn out of a desire to “make healthy eating easier for people who are busy.” She came up with the idea of smoothies as a convenient solution. Today, Raw by Robyn offers a range of signature smoothies, including the popular Strawberries and Cream, which is a blend of strawberries, hemp hearts, coconut cream and vanilla protein powder, making it both tasty and filling. Robyn shares that her favourite smoothie is the Glowing Green smoothie, a sweet blend of mangos, bananas, avocados and spinach with a coconut water base.

When First Street Market began looking for vendors, Robyn felt it was the right time to expand her business. Together with Michaela Gardiner,
who manages the market stall, she began experimenting and testing salad recipes. Today, Raw by Robyn offers fresh salads in addition to smoothies and juices, and continues to test new recipes. The best part of being a market vendor? Robyn says, “Getting to meet all the people!”