Mick the Baker, who juggles running his Stuston bakery with moonlighting as the frontman of a jazz, funk and soul group

Since moving to Norfolk in 1991, Mick Eldridge – also known as Mick the Baker – has become renowned across the county for making bread with a whole lot of soul.

Operating from his one-man-bakery out of Place Farm Shop, in Stuston, Mick Eldridge juggles his bread-making with his other passion – moonlighting as the frontman of a jazz, funk and soul group.

With almost half-a-century’s experience under his belt, the 64-year-old enjoys a well-earned reputation for producing some of the best organic, whole, granary and white bread in the region.

“It’s as close to natural as you will get and, for a commercial baker, you won’t get purer,” said Mr Eldridge, from Rickinghall.

“I use an untreated flour and everything is done by hand.

“I do a long dough – so everything has at least four hours to rest after it has finished baking.

Beyond bread, Mr Eldridge offers a selection desserts, from rock, cockney cheese and eccles cakes to special festive offerings, such as hot cross buns during Easter.

Busy serving up baked goods by day, Mr Eldridge serves up dance floor classics at night as the frontman of his soul group, named Mick the Baker Band.

“We’ll do anything from James Brown to Stevie Wonder, but we like to do it with a bit of an edge and shake things up a bit,” he said.

“The band members change – every gig, I will have a different line up. On any given night, I will have anything from a two-piece band to a four-piece.”

Music and baking have more in common with one another than some might suspect.

“I love music – everything I do revolves around it,” he said.

“When I’m in the bakery, I have Jazz FM on.

“There’s similarities between baking and music. When you’re making cakes, you’re being creative and it’s the same with music. It’s all about creating stuff.”

To find out more about Mick the Baker Band, including his upcoming shows, click here.