The Wild Goose Bakery

Wild Goose Bakery was founded by Vernon and Kirstin, brought together by their love of food & their belief that food can open doors and create community.

Vernon was born in South Africa, but has been a Leytonstonian for his twelve years in London, he has had a glittering and diverse career as a chef. His experience ranges from a field kitchen where the passers by included lions and elephants, training to be a chocolatier with Valrhona in France and melt chocolate shop in Notting Hill, and then onto the heart of Mayfair in London.

Vernon was part of the team who won the prestigious ‘Best Afternoon Tea in England’ award while at Browns Hotel, and worked for several years for acclaimed chef Mark Hix. Vernon’s father instilled in him, a great sense of social responsibility, and his Grandmother was the source of inspiration for his passion for baking.

Scottish-born Kirstin has been part of Leytonstone for the past ten years and is excited to be putting down roots in the community, after welcoming their daughter Ruth during Christmas 2014 closely followed by the birth of another daughter Iona during Easter 2016 and then their Son Fergus during Christmas 2017.

Her career is similarly impressive, after graduating from one of London’s leading cookery schools, she worked in a number of establishments offering five-star food and beverages. Kirstin completed undergraduate studies in theology prior to becoming a chef, and is about to embark on further study in the world of nutrition.

Despite being surrounded by food & knives in their professional life both have experienced food poverty as well as knife crime, this is the driving force behind the couples decision to make the wild goose a social enterprise in order to offer more than just great hospitality to the community.