An Inspiring Visit to the Axminster Community Waffle House

As a grumpy old man, it’s unusual that my cynical heart is as unabashedly warmed as it was on my recent, very inspiring trip to the not-for-profit Community Waffle House, or “Waffle” in Axminster. 

Axminster is a little market town in East Devon, just down the road from the BakeryBits offices in Somerset. Axminster was the site of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s The Canteen and is now renowned for making carpets, and (from my point of view) for the much more interesting Axminster Power Tool Centre. Generally thought of as being on the way to Lyme Regis, Axminster doesn't get the credit it deserves as a pretty little market town. Indeed on my visit (on a Thursday), there was a market complete with a grocery stall extensive enough to compete with any found in France, a stall selling mouth-wateringly good curry, and an engrossing carnivorous plant stand (enabling me in my one-man battle against flies) amongst several others.

I heard about The Community Waffle House because they have long been a customer of our Belgian Waffle Sugar. I was very grateful I finally took the time to pay them a visit in their Axminster HQ, both because I found their dedication to their strong set of ethical principles deeply inspiring, and because their waffles are absolutely delicious!

The Community Waffle House is a 100% not-for-profit community interest company. Its goal is to tackle loneliness in the community, bringing people together in a warm and friendly environment to eat waffles and for good conversation - a waffle! 

Waffle is run by its three infectiously enthusiastic and friendly directors: Tim, Matt, and Sophie pictured below. The trio are self-described “wafflers”, and are driven by a shared set of ethics. The three directors take the same pay as everyone else in the company, and if, at the end of the year, Waffle (accidentally!) makes a profit, they choose a local charity or initiative to donate to. 

Tim, Matt, and Sophie - Waffle's directors.

The three are driven by the knowledge of the clear links between increased loneliness and poor physical and mental health. Research suggests that loneliness can significantly reduce the length of someone’s life, and can be as detrimental to one’s health as smoking or obesity. 

By creating an environment that fosters community connection, Waffle gives its community the opportunity to connect with others, giving everyone a chance to ‘waffle’ about their daily lives. They specifically encourage people to have “adventurous conversations”, pushing long-term connections, and teaching their community, including local school groups, about the importance of conversation in free workshops. The cafe is festooned with community-oriented signposts to events and activities. For example, on a Monday, The Waffle House closes to the public and instead opens its facilities to a group which runs games, painting, and other activities for those with learning disabilities to facilitate the forming of friendships. 

Waffle also plays a role in NHS social prescribing. Social prescribing is a healthcare approach which connects people to groups and activities within their community to meet their health and well-being needs. This means locals can be referred to the Waffle House by their doctor, and the Waffle House in turn can provide a social space or connect individuals to a multitude of diverse local social groups and events. There are plenty of options: the Waffle House has connections with around 80 different groups, 50 of which they have hosted since Waffle began. These range from walking, to tech repair, from Dungeons and Dragons to knitting, from magic, to Lego, poetry, Scouts, or learning French, - whatever you’re interested in, Waffle can connect you with like-minded people to waffle with somewhere on its extensive events calendar or in other local venues on its Community Board.

The very busy Community Board at The Community Waffle House.

The Waffle House staff is made up of a mixture of paid members and volunteers, many of whom utilise the role as an opportunity to tackle their own anxiety or loneliness. Staff, or “Wafflers” are trained in providing excellent customer service, chatting with customers, signposting certain customers to local services or groups, and spotting those with more acute support needs. This approach breaks down barriers between business owners, staff, and customers into one mutually benefiting community of wafflers. This was illustrated when Tim, whom I was chatting with about the Waffle House during my visit, had to cut our conversation a bit short as he had to go off to help one of his team members write their CV.

Tim and his brother, Simon, manage a wider Waffle Community, consisting of around 50 volunteers. These volunteers work not just within the Waffle House, but in the wider community, helping with tasks like moving furniture, cutting people’s lawns - or just being present when someone needs it. The Waffle House also have a free collaborative workspace, hosts weekly live music events which showcase local artists, has a soft play area to allow parents to chat, has a library of free-to-use board games, hosts games clubs, and provides a variety of work and volunteering opportunities for their community.

What came across from Tim, when I spoke to him, was his utter single-minded focus on fulfilling the aims of their project. The directors have not taken an easy option here - they are demonstrating a dedication to community and kindness that I found both humbling and infectious.

The 'Mystery Waffle' at The Community Waffle House.

...and what's more, the food is fantastic! This is the place for waffles! Sweet or savoury, Brussels or Liege, vegan or otherwise, they have it! I had their "Mystery Waffle" described on the menu as "The Zingy One: Our trademark Liege waffle topped with a zesty cheesecake filling, raspberry curd, buttery biscuit crumb, fresh raspberries and vanilla ice cream - all homemade", which paired perfectly with one of their guest coffees (see above!). Delicious.

I spoke with volunteer waffle dough maker Jane, affectionately dubbed "Jane Dough" (pictured below). Completely passionate about the project, Jane mixes dough at 7 am three times a week and makes anything up to 30kg of waffle dough in one go. She specialises in making yeast-based dough, which is allowed to rise slowly in the fridge. For the sweet Liege waffles, Belgian Waffle (Pearl) Sugar is added after proofing, and just before cooking. Jane explains that "It's very important to add the pearl sugar as late as possible to avoid it dissolving - that way you get the caramel nuggets in the baked waffle". Much firmer than the baking-powder waffles of Scandinavia that my mother brought my siblings and me up on, these waffles are bready and much more suited to decadent toppings like those on the "Mystery Waffle" - or other enticing offerings from their regular menu as well as vegan and gluten-free ones, ranging from "Naked" to "Heavenly".

Jane 'Dough', volunteer waffle chef.

The Waffle House is understandably protective about its exact waffle recipe. It is 100 years old and was handed down to director Sophie by her grandparents. Sophie’s grandparents were Jewish and lived in Belgium before and during its Nazi occupation during WWII. To protect themselves, they were both baptised which gave them legal papers which said that they were not Jewish, allowing them to remain in their country and to survive Nazi occupation. The couple used this as an opportunity to harbour fellow Jewish people, protecting them from persecution and death. Sophie’s grandparents were still able to occasionally able to enjoy the treat of waffles and their recipe has become closely associated with the memory of this time period. 

If you can’t make the trip to Axminster, you can still make waffles of your own. We don’t have Sophie’s secret recipe, but we do have a recipe for similar, yeast-based Liege Waffles, which contains some tips from Jane Dough. It uses our Belgian Waffle Pearl Sugar (sugar also used by The Community Waffle House), and Waffle Maker. Just be sure that when you make a batch you honour The Community Waffle House and invite someone in your community over to eat a waffle and have a waffle!

Waffle is an absolute jewel in the crown of Axminster, enriching the community, combatting loneliness, and providing fantastic, lovingly made waffles. If you can’t make it to their HQ in Axminster, or their second site in Seaton, they’d be very happy to receive a donation - you can pay for a ‘Community Card’ for someone in need, for two hours of support for someone living on their own, or for two hours of gardening for someone in need. If you’re ever near Axminster, or Seaton, home of their second site, make sure that you find the time to pop into the Waffle House, for delicious food, engaging conversation, and an infectious attitude of goodwill towards one’s community.

To see even more about The Community Waffle House follow this link.