If you Google “Salisbury Bakery” the first thing you notice is the highly rated reviews, and with closer inspection, these reviews seem to focus on their donut range. Excited to try from a bakery in which even the critics of Google had high praises, I went early one Sunday morning before a shift. Open for 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, they cater to the early risers and have a constant team of bakers in the back. As you walk through the hanging, thick sheets of plastic, your eye is drawn to the rows of sweets and baked goods lining the shelves. A huge portion of the shelves is dedicated to the donuts, where they sit glistening in their fried glory, of all different shapes and sizes.
Not knowing where to begin, I asked for a bag of donut-holes. These are small, bite-sized pieces of dough, heavily glazed, and originating from the dough taken from the centre of a donut. I’m aware donut-holes don’t meet the blog criteria, but for me, they hold a special place in my heart. Their presence brought back fond childhood memories, which have been foundational in my love of donuts and this blog. I haven’t had a donut-hole since we left America, over 13 years ago, and so it was an opportunity not to be missed.
John Street, SalisburyView on Map
The smell, as I opened the little paper bag, was of fresh dough mixing with the sweet icing. It brought about a sigh of content and a rush of nostalgia. The first bite was simply phenomenal; the dough, still slightly warm, melted in my mouth. The donut-holes were crunchy on the outside, sweet and light in the middle and the entire bag was easily consumed; popping one after another into my mouth as I drove to work early that Sunday morning.
Sometimes, when good news happens you can’t wait to shout about it. When I got into university, became a Christian, got engaged, and then got married, the entire of Facebook and all my close friends and family were well aware of the developments. The same occurred with these donuts, I couldn’t stop talking about them! My colleagues, my friends and even those abroad knew about these donuts. I returned multiple times within the week and month, and it wasn’t until over a month after my initial visit that I finally decided it was time to review.
So early on a brisk May morning, I turned towards the quaint shopping district I had come to know quite well. I walked into the bakery and as is usual (even first thing in the morning) had to wait in a small queue. The woman at the counter was friendly and efficient, a huge smile brightening up her face as she served each customer – and frequently knowing their orders before they’d even asked. In the back a small army of men and woman were busy preparing for the day, sliding new trays of fresh donuts and other goodies into the well-lit shelves. The air was warm and filled with the smell of fresh dough. A bag of donut-holes and a single, chocolate-sprinkle donut later I was back in the car, knowing without a doubt that I would return.
