Eddie Palin, whom many in the trade will remember as the eponymous founder of Eddie Palin Distribution, has embarked upon a new career.
The ever enthusiastic 74 year old has become the major shareholder in a bakery business.
Swifts Bakery, bakers and confectioners, was founded in 1863. Today, it has four branches in Shropshire and Worcestershire.
Eddie was already part of the family behind the firm. “I’m working with my nephew John Swift [a professional baker] at this expanding bakery,” he told ETN.
Over Christmas, John featured on the BBC2 TV programme Victorian Bakers.
In an episode showing how the seasonal delights we enjoy today were invented, he made a giant Yorkshire pie just like the one Queen Victoria ate every Christmas.
Whether Eddie is up at 3am, baking ahead of the day’s business, remains a mystery. But business is business - whether it’s clippers and electric fencing or cakes and pastries – and he’ll definitely be cooking on gas in his new role at Swifts Bakery.