Originally from Poland, Ewa Konieczna, has set up shop at the Claddach Kirkibost Centre in North Uist. Welcome, the Oystercatcher Bakery.

Ewa worked most of her life in the corporate world of Germany before deciding that she was fed up of the bright lights and city slicking. She then decided to take a year out from her work to explore some more rural areas before coming to the misty Western Isles.

‘I eventually ended up here after about eight months, eight or nine months of my travel adventure. I was really just passing through the islands. I never actually planned to move here. But, yeah, I fell in love with the people here, including my husband who I met here. So he definitely had something to do with it.

It was the people and the landscapes, and the island way of living. There’s a sense of community here which is just special, that I never really experienced before, that really drew me in. So, because before that, I was working at a big international tech company from quite early on in my career, and that really allowed me to grow personally and professionally and travel the world.’

Ewa worked from home as an HR consultant when she first made the move to Uist. It was after that that she realised that the desk wasn’t for her anymore.

‘I just realised it didn’t really bring me the same sense of fulfilment as before. Working from home made it harder to make connections in the community. It can be a little bit lonely moving to a place and then just working from home and being constantly at home.’

So, yeah, I decided it was time for a change and do something new. A challenge that would benefit both the community and me as well. Since I moved here, I spent a lot of time baking, and it really was bringing me a lot of joy, was a lot of fun. So I just thought, well, why not go into this direction?’

As Ewa’s life was steering away from the corporate world, she would pass by the Claddach Kirkibost Centre, noticing that it had been closed for some time. She then decided to send The Email. As they say, the rest is history, her new life started to piece together and her new venture opened last January.

In her past life, Ewa had never had any hospitality experience, None at all. Without a days work even been done in a café, her idea to leave her steady job to start her new business was a bigger leap than crossing The Minch.

‘It was a crazy idea to suddenly just drop everything and open a bakery. I had so much to learn. I spent weeks practicing the baking and the Latte art for my barista coffees because this was my dream, to make a really good coffee.

 

It took embarrassingly long time to figure out the professional kitchen equipment. It’s very different from equipment you have at home, which obviously I did not realise before.

Ewa mentions that she’s had fantastic support from the beginning of her new endeavour. Bussiness Gateway, Claddach Kirkibost, her husband and the wider community have been on her side while some volunteers have come in to help her wash up and keep at the business flowing. She’s also had some support from some other bakery owners close by and can get in touch with them at any point for tips and tricks. Amanda and Emma from other bakeries have been on hand for Ewa as she learns her new trade.

To fill her bakery shelves, Ewa’s day can start at 5am and had to get used to how to guess how much passing trade there would be for the day. She likes to keep her produce fresh and at it’s best for the customer.

‘When I first opened, I was working 15 hours a day. I didn’t do much advertising before I opened because I was a little bit scared and I wanted to take things slow. 

I opened in the last week of January, not expecting many people to come in, but to my big surprise, they all showed up. It was much easier than I anticipated. It was a lot for one person to handle, and things did get chaotic at times. But, everyone has been just so supportive and helpful.

Two ladies even offered to help me wash up. You know, when dishes were piling up and help deliver coffees to people’s tables. And no one ever made me feel bad about. People were just helping until I could really manage the workload by myself. So it was amazing. 

The Oystercatcher Bakery now has some staff and things have relaxed in the operations since it’s first opening. When you turn up at Claddach Kirkibost, so will expect some lovely coffeess, and some sweet and savoury bakes. Ewa favours sourdough bread over any other kind and fashions some delicious treats with her homemade bread. Sourdough is not just a trend for Ewa, she says that it’s a healthier bread and is better for digestion and has a longer shelf life.

‘I guess that my bakes are a little bit different because having grown up in Poland and spent a big chunk of my adult life in Germany, I get inspiration from there or from something I was growing up with.

So that’s why I don’t really bake scones or Victoria sponges, because I’m sure that everyone on the island can bake those far better than me. Instead I just focus on trying to bring something new to the table, inspired by my own roots and experiences and background. I do a lot of sourdough.’

To follow a savoury sourdough delight, Ewa offers sweet bakes too. You’ll find cinnamon buns, pastries and cakes on the shelf. As mentioned, Ewa spent a good amount of time practising. She says:

 

I suppose that’s the thing with experimenting. You never really know how it’s all going to be until afterwards. You cannot win every time. So every now and then, there needs to be a small disaster to make you more excited about things that actually work out. 

The people from Claddach Kirkibost did take me seriously and they did make this happen. They trusted me enough to give me the lease of the cafe that has been a very popular place. 

They definitely gave me a boost, but also I didn’t want to let people down. If you’re doing something like this, taking over the place that people really enjoyed and cared for and you have to work hard and they make you want to make it all work. You can’t really let the community down, but on the other hand, they also won’t let you.

So it’s a special place. 

When talking about her plans for the future Ewa says that:

‘I just want to keep it small and keep it enjoyable. I want to make it work for the community and my main priority is for me to enjoy what I do, but also for people to have a space all year round to be able to meet each other, get out of the house and eat something nice with some good coffee.’

Be sure to visit Claddach Kirkibost for something to eat and drink and follow Ewa and the Oystercatcher Cafe on Social media.