Loaves of Time

How one Boulanger rebelled against tradition to create a slow life on his terms

This is a story of how Leandre created his dream, to work and live at a rural wood-fired Boulangerie with the support of his community, one loaf at a time…

Boulangers work notoriously long hours that Leandre wasn’t prepared to do. In his early twenties, he had trained as a patisserie chef, yet after a work placement with an uninspiring boss he realised he couldn’t work for anyone else and he couldn’t work the all-consuming hours in sacrifice of his life.

It wasn’t until he happened to visit a wood-fired Boulangerie a couple of years later, that he realised his vision was for a wood-fired patisserie where he could continue to live a rural lifestyle and create his dream work-life balance.

Excited and focused, he dedicated all his time and energy to look for the right location. Too expensive to buy, he found an old barn with outbuildings to rent from an amenable landlord who was open to his ideas and desire to invest in the building transformation.

First, he renovated the habitable space, which took 2-3 years, and then with the support of loyal customers who helped him fund the next stage of his project, he was able to renovate the large uninhabitable area into his boulangerie, by up-cycling the oven from a trailer and finding the main equipment he needed secondhand or from scrap merchants, working to a budget to enable his business to begin and grow with minimal outlay whilst he built his reputation.

Leandre was clear on his driving motivations…first was independence; to work for himself and not have a boss, second was to live and work in the same location and last was to work slowly, to have time to enjoy life, baking for one market a week without shop overheads.

His approach and beliefs made his products unique with wood-fired sourdough and patisserie from organic ingredients sourced from nearby farms. This meant part of his week was spent restocking the wood pile, and part of the week was spent visiting his suppliers. In between there were chickens and his young pup Praline to care for. Which left him Friday for making and Saturday for selling at his chosen market in Nerac.

Leandre’s Boulangerie is full of homespun charm, constructed with thought and care. His business is now booming with an apprentice in tow and if you were to visit him at the Market on a Saturday, you will most likely find yourself in a long queue waiting for your favourite regular country bread, multigrain, or the turmeric and olive loaf. And as his vision became a reality, many of his loyal customers also became his friends as life and work seamlessly joined together.

Leandre’s story is one of passion and self-belief, an inspiration for how to build a slow life well, doing what you love with intention and at every step, support came just when he needed it.

His secret to creating a successful slow life?...

• Be clear on your values; know what you don’t want as much as what you do want.

• Know where the line of compromise lies.

• Let time support your vision.

• Do what it takes between starting and realising to support your goal. For Leandre this meant renting a workspace until he had his own.

• Be open and talk about what you are doing, ask for help and let your community support and invest in you.

• Be mindful of your output as you manage each step to avoid being on the back foot, lacking time to enjoy what you are creating.

I asked Leandre what his top three accomplishments were in life and I loved his response, “The almond meringues, the cannelé, the lemon tart and Olive bread” I can second that too, everything he makes is delicious and worth a trip to Nerac to taste!

NB. Photographs were taken by myself on a very hot summer’s day, hence the almost naked but not naked Boulanger!

Thinking of starting a project and in need of support to create your vision?
With a holistic approach to coaching, I help you build the work-life balance you wish to create in alignment with your values.
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Inspired to live slowly? Listen to ‘Dames du Paradis’ latest podcast: Episode #5 Slow Living - Our top suggestions for how to change the pace of your life.

Until next time,
A bientôt, Tamsin x