News

Tribute to BSB’s first lady chairman, who served for 12 years!

Obituary

Sylvia Macdonald, former editor British Baker and now BSB Conference Co-ordinator, writes:

I knew Jean Grieves for over 30 years. She served the baking industry all her life and left an indelible mark upon it.  To me she became a wise and special friend.

Bakery, as many of you will know, is the biggest sector of the food industry in terms of daily manufacture and distribution. I was privileged to become editor of the industry magazine, British Baker, and met Jean in a professional capacity.

Jean was a very determined and inspirational person. As a former tutor at Tameside college, she inspired her students to achieve the highest levels of excellence. She also cared about building their confidence, and communicated her passion for the craft. A very special tutor and person.

So what made Jean special.   Well, the base of it all was her Christian faith. 

“If you serve the Lord, you have to give of your best” she said. 

She also remembered her father saying: “If you are going to do something, do it really, really well, then stand back and ask, “Could I have improved on that?” How?

Briefly, how did it all start, 

Well when Jean left school, she turned down her parents’ invitation to join them in their successful pub and restaurant and decided to mark out her own path in life. 

Passing by Gunstone’s Bakery in Sheffield she saw a job vacancy for the tin bench. She told me: “I didn’t realise it meant washing tins all day.” 

But providence stepped in.  Jean met a great bakery craftsman at Gunstone’s, Joe Geary. 

At the same time as doing her apprenticeship at Gunstone’s five days a week, Joe Geary suggested that Jean went to Sheffield College five nights a week to study bakery.  Our Jean was no snowflake!

Next she found work at a craft bakery learning how to really decorate cakes.

Well, she absolutely excelled and won a scholarship to the prestigious Richemont school in Switzerland, probably the world’s leading school for bakery, patisserie and chocolate work. It was to change her life. She told people “I had never seen anything like it!” And Jean became a brilliant confectioner, baker and chocolatier.

So at the at the young age of 21, Jean then became assistant lecturer at Sheffield College, though she’d never taught a class in her life.

Jean loved teaching but spent her summer holidays volunteering to work in Austria, and Switzerland, where she learned everything from marzipan to meringues and took a Masters degree in chocolate and sugar boiling.

After her masters, she was invited to do TV work as a demonstrator on the Generation Game. Which some of us remember. And she worked with Yorkshire TV presenter Richard Whitely.

This TV work is probably what led, the Duke of Westminster to invite her to Chester to create a cake for the wedding of his best friend. His best friend was Prince Charles who was due to marry Lady Diana Spencer and our Jean was an ardent Royalist.

It took her fourteen weekends because during the week she was teaching students who were sitting exams. It was a marvellous cake!

I have to mention that in her own career she was very successful in competition work. She won gold medals at Hotelympia and the Table d’Honneur on two occasions. 

Jean had severe dyslexia. But she became Director of Food and took over running the bakery school at Tameside college, Manchester, later becoming Asst Principal. She would persuade some of the best bakeries in the country to take her students for a few months in order to raise their aspirations.

Budgets at the college though were tight. She was given £2000 to run the Department but equipment could cost £15,000. Jean threw a challenge out to industry and soon had enough equipment offers for three bakeries.

When Jean took early retirement from Tameside in 1998 she developed the Bakery School Online. It was pioneering. The first UK online bakery school teaching people to understand the underpinning knowledge of bakery and confectionery.  Altogether she wrote 60 ! training modules to support the trade because by now bakery colleges were in demise. The modules were subsequently purchased by George Weston, Chief executive of ABF Foods.

Jean also took the helm of the British Society of Baking which organises both a Spring and Autumn conference each year. Under her chairmanship for 12 years it absolutely flourished.  She attracted top speakers such as the head of Greggs and Sainsbury’s as well as leading craft bakers. 

Delegates would all speak of her ‘meticulous organisation’ and the ‘marvellous welcome’ she would give to everyone.

Jean had also become a very much in demand herself as a judge of competitions. 

I invited her to judge the top accolade in our magazine’s Baking Industry Awards, which used to attract over 800 people to the Grosvenor House in London. Jean was head judge of the top award, Baker of the Year, for over 20 years.

Then at the 2005 Awards, in front of those 800 people, Jean, herself was presented with the ultimate accolade: The Award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to the Baking Industry’.

Amazingly, it was the second time she had won it. She said: ‘I am so proud to be the only person in bakery to be given this award’, twice.  When I first retired 25 years ago and now by British Baker magazine,”.

So after she retired, again! she spent a great deal of time helping businesses with everything from window displays to product development across companies very large and very small. She would say: I give my time free to help support this amazing trade. 

 Finally, in 2006 she was elected a Freeman of the Livery company, the Worshipful Company of Bakers.  It was one of the proudest days of her life. She was also invited to join the somewhat exclusive British Confectioners Association and remained a member of the renowned Richemont club, which had so inspired her at the start of her career.

In 2013 she was given the wonderful opportunity to speak at Mansion House, London, at an annual banquet for the Livery Company at the invitation of then Master, Peter Gossage.

And Just 2 years ago, before Motor Neurone Disease took hold, she was in N Ireland at the renowned Ditty’s Bakery, giving advice and support in every way she could. 

Jean was one of the warmest, kindest, most faithful and determined characters you could ever meet. She gave me, like some of you, wonderful advice. She loved to be appreciated, she valued friendship.

Here are a dozen short comments from people who wish to pay a personal tribute:

TRIBUTES TO JEAN

1   Miller and baker, Paul Heygate OBE

As you all know, Jean was a very persuasive lady. In return for chairing the British Society of Baking into the Milennium, I received an enormous amount of help. My technical and development team benefitted hugely from her advice. A truly remarkable lady and a very good friend over many years.”

2  Bakels director, Paul Morrow

Jean was the best “arm twister” I have ever met. But it was always in support of a good cause, or to help someone pursuing their bakery career.

Jean set the highest standards of craftsmanship, service and behaviour, in a firm but kind way.

3  Bakery Consultant, Sara Autton

I owe her a huge debt of gratitude for being such an inspiration to me during the latter part of my career and I will never forget her gentle (but firm!) encouragement to follow opportunities and give back to the next generation of bakers. She will be fondly remembered and sorely missed.

4  Past Master of the W. Co of Bakers, Peter Gossage

In my year as Livery Master I invited Jean to join me at Westminster Palace to attend a luncheon in honour of then Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee. I remember how proud and delighted she was when I passed on the Prince of Wales comments about how attractive and well-dressed he thought she was. Later she was thrilled to receive a photo of the Royal family passing in front of our table.

5 President Elect Craft Bakers Assoc. Patrick Wilkins,

A sad loss of a simply delightful lady and a titan in the Baking world. 

6  Director Birds Bakery, Mike Holling

Jean Grieves will be remembered as a bakery legend, I have many treasured moments, which I will always remember with ‘Auntie Jean’. She may have gone from our sight, but never from our hearts.”

7  Former Technical bakery expert, Jim Brown

Jean was very knowledgeable and had a lovely, friendly disposition. Whether it was a lecture, or an informal talk about bakery education, you had the impression that what she was saying was for you, personally!

8  Neil Woods, President CBA

Jean ‘s contribution to our industry was vast and what she accomplished in the various roles that she took on was astonishing. To say that she was the doyen of our industry is an understatement.

9  Robert Ditty, Owner Ditty’s bakery

The Jean Grieves l got to know through her many visits to our bakery in Castledawson, NI was a woman of passion. She was passionate first and foremost about her faith. Then her life’s work in the baking industry, and student education, but most of all her friends, of which Helen my wife and I were privileged to be counted as one. We will miss the long conversations with “Auntie Jean “as she became affectionately known.

10  Baker, David Hall

Her interest in students and assisting them, is what I truly remember as Jean’s legacy. She once organised 8 students to travel from London’s  National Bakery school .. at her own cost …to visit several bakeries / confectioners of note within the Manchester area.  It was just one of many acts of kindness.

And last of all:

11 Her great industry friend,and former BSB member Neil Jackson

Jean was a very close friend with a most caring and generous nature. She had a simple approach – ‘Excellence is required’! She was a remarkable lady who made an immense contribution to the Baking Industry.

Introducing the newest member of the BSB Committee, Sophie Carey…

Sophie has been baking for most of her life, but turned a hobby into a profession by studying at the National Bakery School as part of London South Bank University. She graduated as top student and was admitted into the Worshipful Company of Bakers before starting her career in product development in the food-to-go industry as a graduate. She moved on to working as a development baker for Zeelandia UK, before advancing on to the role of Bakery Development Technologist for Grupo Bimbo – working mainly on bagel recipes and processing. Sophie moved from her home in the south east across the country to settle in Devon and joined Matthews Cotswold Flour as the Bakery Development Manager, working on recipes for home bakers, marketing projects, and managing trade bakery accounts.

After attending as a student, Sophie joined the ABST committee in 2020 as Conference Chairman and takes charge of the organisation and execution of the annual ABST conference which comprises of talks, networking, demonstrations, competitions, and plenty of fun as well! Sophie also works as the Editor of Bakery Business magazine, writing articles and interviews to elaborate on current bakery news.

Sophie lives on the North Devon coast with her Husband and dog, and enjoys hiking, crochet, and cocktails!