Arbutus Bread

The owner retired https://www.echolive.ie/corklives/arid-41439694.html
Company is owned by the Pretzel company from Dublin and shows little to no love to the Cork side of things. There is no social media presence to at least know where they are.

They are still on the Douglas / Mahon farmers market sometimes. I just saw their bread at Fitzpatricks, a week ago in st. Lukes.
The hard crust is a bonus, you rarely get a good crust in Ireland.
Alternatives: Bia Beirut has great bread, Pana, Cameron. Alis Kitchen Soda bread

Brown bread looking like below.

The new owner is Bretzel Bakery. I believe the unbranded bread stall at the Douglas Farmers Market sells their bread (based on the baskets they had some months ago when I went by), and my working assumption is the same applies for the unbranded bread stall in the Midleton Farmers Market. We asked the young ones in Midleton where they get their bread, and were told its baked in "our" bakery in Dublin. I'm assuming they're just supplied off a van. Alternatively, now armed with the knowledge that they bought Arbutus, I wonder do they bake out of Cork with the old Arbutus facilitates?

As a blow in to Cork some 8 years ago, one of the first habits I got into was a Nash19 breakfast complete with Arbutus bread soaked in butter. Both now essentially closed, sad.

Grumpy Bakers is ok, but my wife does not rate the sourdough (which is their main sell) and describes it as stodgy or wet from time to time.

Still separately trying to find a good baguette.

Of little enough use in a Cork City thread 🤷

Arbutus bread went downhill last year, I stopped buying it, it was stale or defrosted towards the end.

The best bread in Cork is ‘Ryes and Shine’, Coal Quay Saturday mornings, outside Henchy’s Weds midday. Sells out quickly.

I know that Pana, Dunnes and Lidl all have slicing machines.

Try the Dunnes organic sourdough. When it's good, it's excellent