TGt Meets... Jane Shayegan from The Oven

To celebrate Independent Retailer Month, we spoke to Jane Shayegan from The Oven about the wonderful city of Bath and what it's like to run an independent business here!

Describe your business in one sentence…

The Oven is a vibrant, friendly pizzeria, offering award-winning Neapolitan wood-fired pizzas, with Italian staff who are passionate about their craft.

What inspired you to set up your business in Bath?

We were inspired to open The Oven because like many other people we had always loved pizza but often found it very difficult to digest. We did some research and found that there is more to making pizza than meets the eye.

The combination of factors, from the type of flour used, to the proving of the dough, not to mention the skill of the pizzaiolo who make the pizza, all ensure pizzas that are top quality and easy to digest

Why do you think it is important to have a month celebrating Bath’s Independent Retailers?

I think it is important to recognise all the hard work and commitment that independent businesses put into Bath, all trying to ensure that Bath stays a unique place to live and visit, whether it is to eat and drink or just shop. We are proud of our beautiful city and want people to share the experience!

In your opinion, what are Bath’s top 3 ‘Hidden Gems’?

The Darling Deli in Combe Down for their amazing salads

Dufflebag in the Guildhall Market  - Gill Bell has a fantastic selection of bags

Running Bath – excellent helpful staff

What do you think attracts people to Bath?

People are attracted to Bath as it is full of history, beautiful architecture and unique independent shops and restaurants owned by businesses that care passionately about their city.  We are so lucky to have the various literature, art and music festivals in Bath, all of which attract many visitors to the city, and to be so well supported by the fantastic Bath Bid and Visit Bath.

What have been your key challenges and how have you overcome them?

The main challenge we have faced is the recession, people have less disposable income and this combined with the fact that big chain restaurants often produce their food in central kitchens, enabling them to keep costs down without the need for trained chefs, is a real challenge to us.

The public in general would prefer to eat good food that is freshly cooked and we use local suppliers as much as possible, for example, Eades greengrocers, which are also a family business and fresh fish from Dorset.

Where is your favourite place to eat in Bath?

Our favourite places to eat are  - The Peking House for Chinese food, The Scallop Shell for fish and chips and The Secret Garden Café at Prior Park Garden Centre for a delicious lunch.

What has been your biggest achievement to date?

At The Oven we feel immensely proud to have created a vibrant new business, which, from the first day we opened has been a great success and to have won an award for the Best Pizza Chef in England 2016 at the Papa Industry Awards in London!

Describe Bath in 3 words

Beautiful, Unique, Historic.