End of an Era for Plum Duff
Head Baker Ian Moore retiring leaving future uncertain
Plum Duff on Southfield Road
August 5, 2023
Plum Duff the popular bakery and café is coming to the end of an era with the retirement of head baker Ian Moore.
He has decided to sell the business on Southfield Road and a new owner is taking over this Monday (7 August).
There is some uncertainty about what will happen next week with no replacement baker in place which will mean it will not be possible to provide fresh bread which delivered over half the sales.
Existing staff are unsure about the plans of the new owner and it has yet to be confirmed to them that they will be kept on.
Plum Duff was established in 1982 by Bruce Duff who had previously been a police officer and was a pastry chef in a ski-resort before working in the patisserie at the restaurant at Biba, the upmarket fashion store on High Street Kensington, where he got to make a cake in the shape of a piano for Liberace.
He was made redundant from Biba in 1974 and then established Plum Duff as a catering company. Eight years later in 1982 he moved into the shop at 62 Southfield Road, initially as a base for the catering business.
In 1989 Ian took over as head baker having previously been Bruce’s assistant and he bought the business in 2004. Ian had earlier worked at the world renowned Bahnhoff buffet in Zurich before returning to the Dorchester Hotel at a kitchen presided over by Anton Mossiman. He later worked at Harrods before spending time travelling around Europe before ending up in Chiswick.
As well as freshly baked loaves and pastries, Plum Duff has expanded into the unit next door to provide in-house dining. It is hugely popular with people in the area and provided valuable support to local people particularly those isolated during the pandemic when it offered free delivery.
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