Voices of the Bay: Middletown’s June Lawton

Fans of the The Great British Bake Off competition TV show who crave a Victoria sponge cake, sticky toffee pudding, or a bakewell tart need look no further than June Love’s English Bakery in Middletown. Owners June Lawton and her son Nishan Lawton are the from-scratch baking duo whipping up traditional baked goods popular in Harpham, a village in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England where June grew up. After coming to the US for work as a nanny, June attended the Community College of Rhode Island to become a nurse, and worked in the surgical unit at Rhode Island Hospital for 40 years.

A lifelong baker, she was well known for celebrating coworkers’ birthdays by bringing in homemade treats. Over 15 years ago, a coworker suggested she sell at farmers markets and June Love’s English Bakery was born. Growing popularity resulted in securing a small storefront where everything is made onsite. The former longtime resident of East Providence now calls Middletown home. In addition to the shop (a July 2023 Rhody Gem), baked goods are available at a host of nearby farmers markets and coffee shops. Take note: speciality and Christmas orders require four to seven days’ notice. 796 Aquidneck Avenue, Middletown, JuneLovesEnglishBakery.com

Village Life: I come from Harpham where my dad and my grandfather had the local pub. I grew up in a family of seven. We are all bakers and were always baking. My mother died young, and then my father married again. Monday was baking day; Tuesday was washing day. There was a day [assigned] for everything. Even my son is very good at it. Baking is in the genes.

To Market: I used to make cakes for everybody’s birthday. I never forgot anybody. It never had entered my head [to sell]. Nursing was my passion. My son was working at The Newport Playhouse. We started with the markets. We were each working our jobs but after a while it was too much to do both. I really loved my job and it was hard to give it up. I miss working with the doctors, the other nurses and technicians, all the ancillary stuff and everything. You feel like you’re doing something worthwhile. However, baking gives us flexibility.

Sugar and Spice: We have eight different items with different variations for each: four or five tarts, four different flapjacks, special-order cakes, scones. In England we love our crumbles, and our sticky toffee pudding is very popular – it’s the signature dessert for Gordon Ramsay at his restaurant.

Mary Berry: The Great British Bake Off used to have a master class with the former host Mary Berry and I would watch it for inspiration. We knew a lady named Mavis who would come to the farmers market who was a bridesmaid in Mary’s wedding. Mavis went back to England and took a couple of our cakes back to Mary and she sent a little note back. This Bakewell pastry I am making now is Mary Berry’s recipe.

Bake Off: Growing up we didn’t have a proper stove. We had an oven on the side of the fire and you would push the coals underneath the oven and my mom would put her hand in the oven to see if it was the right temperature. We have two ovens [at June Love’s] – one big and one small. I only use an electric oven.

Traditional Treats: A Christmas English tradition is mince tarts, and I put a gingerbread man on top. We make all the filling from scratch. We sell tons of them. On Christmas day at home, why Yorkshire pudding, of course!