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Loaf Actually

  • Writer: John Nickolls
    John Nickolls
  • Jun 8
  • 3 min read

šŸž

Loaf, Actually

LOAF ACTUALLY ā¤ļø
LOAF ACTUALLY ā¤ļø

A romantic mini loaf with oaty heart, nutty charm, and cinnamon warmth ā€”

Baked at home. Eaten in Vanilla. Loved forever.

Loaf #003 in the Bread Odyssey Series

By John Nickolls | Campervan Casanova | Defender of Dough





šŸ’˜ A Love Letter to Loaf



They say you never forget your first love.

But I say: you never forget the first loaf that made you feel something.


This isnā€™t just a recipe.

Itā€™s a story of oats, hazelnuts, cinnamon, and yearning.

Itā€™s baked with warmth, cooled with care, and eaten in Vanilla with the kind of passion usually reserved for rom-com montages and good cheese toasties.


This is Loaf, Actually.

And yes ā€” I fell for it. Hard.





šŸ›’ Ingredients ā€“ Lovers United by Oats (with Costs)


Ingredient

Quantity

Approx Cost

Strong bread flour

180g

Ā£0.22

Rolled oats

80g

Ā£0.08

Chopped hazelnuts

40g

Ā£0.60

Chia seeds

1 tbsp (~10g)

Ā£0.12

Cinnamon

Ā½ tsp

Ā£0.03

Salt

Ā½ tsp

<Ā£0.01

Fast-action yeast

Ā¾ tsp

Ā£0.08

Warm water

140ml

Free (or Ā£0.001 if youā€™re a spreadsheet nerd)

Natural yoghurt

2 tbsp (~30g)

Ā£0.06

Runny honey

2Ā½ tbsp

Ā£0.25

Olive oil or butter

1 tbsp

Ā£0.10

šŸ’ø Total Cost: approx Ā£1.64

šŸ“¦ Servings: ~8 thick slices

šŸž Cost per slice: ~20p, or priceless if served in Vanilla with mood lighting.





šŸ„£ Instructions ā€“ Scene by Scene




šŸŽ¬ Scene One: The Meeting



Add the following to your breadmaker pan in this order:


  1. Wet ingredients: water, yoghurt, honey, oil

  2. Dry ingredients: flour, oats, cinnamon, chia seeds, salt

  3. Yeast: make a little well in the top and drop it in gently, like placing a love letter on a pillow




šŸŽ¬ Scene Two: The Twist



If youā€™ve got a nut dispenser: add your chopped hazelnuts now.

If not, wait for the machineā€™s beep (usually around 25 mins in) and drop them in like a dramatic plot twist. Whisper ā€œI loaf youā€ for full effect.



šŸŽ¬ Scene Three: The Slow Burn



  • Program: Whole Wheat or Basic

  • Size: Small (450g)

  • Crust: Medium or Dark (Dark if youā€™re a toast fan or a brooding poet)



Sit back. Let the machine do its thing. Watch the rise. Smell the cinnamon. Fall in love.



šŸŽ¬ Scene Four: The Grand Finale



Before baking starts, open the lid and scatter a few oats and chia seeds on top ā€” this is the loafā€™s wedding outfit. Optional veil not included.





šŸ½ļø How to Serve a Star



The Rom-Com Classic

Warm, buttered, eaten while watching Love Actually for the fiftieth time.


The Nix Deluxe

Toasted, with almond butter and banana, served in Vanilla with smooth jazz and a smug grin.


The Cheesy Ending

Cold slice, thick cheddar, caramelised onion chutney, and a view of Cannock Chase. Perfection.


The Morning After

Sliced, egg-soaked, fried, topped with maple syrup and a touch of regret. Ideal with strong coffee.





šŸ§” Final Thoughts from a Loaf Devotee



Loaf, Actually is:

āœ”ļø Soft, sweet, and oaty

āœ”ļø Packed with crunch, warmth, and emotional depth

āœ”ļø Low-cost, high-reward

āœ”ļø Baked at home, but best eaten in Vanilla, with messy hair and no socks


Itā€™s a love letter to simplicity.

A reminder that life is better with bread ā€” and even better in a van.


You donā€™t need a bakery.

You donā€™t need fancy gadgets.

You just need a breadmaker, a good playlist, and a heart open to carbs.





šŸ“ø Share Your Slice



Made your own Loaf, Actually?

Tag me on Instagram @johnnickollsĀ or post with:



Letā€™s start a movement. A bread-based rom-com revolution.





āœļø A Poem for the Loaf




ā€œLoaf, My Loveā€



By John Nickolls, 61Ā¾. Oat whisperer. Butter enthusiast.


Oh loaf of mine, so warm, so sweet,

With oaty charm and hazelnut heat.

You rose from humble yeast and goo,

And now I canā€™t stop loving you.


You didnā€™t ask for fancy praise,

Just cinnamon and quiet days.

But in your crust I saw the light,

Golden, toasty, crisp ā€” just right.


Your heart is soft, your crumb is kind,

A better bake Iā€™ll never find.

With yoghurt soul and honeyed tone,

Youā€™ve made this campervan a home.


Iā€™ve sliced you thick, Iā€™ve toasted bold,

Iā€™ve wrapped you warm in foil of gold.

You travelled far in glovebox space ā€”

From Stafford layby to Lizardā€™s face.


Not all heroes wear a cape,

Some come shaped in perfect bake.

So hereā€™s my vow, you golden dream:

Forever, youā€™re my carb routine.





šŸš Loaf, Actually ā€“ The Short Summary



šŸ  Baked at home.

šŸ›» Eaten in Vanilla.

šŸ’› Loved forever.





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šŸš VANILLA — THE ESSENCE OF FREEDOM

ā€‹People often ask where my drone footage comes from — how I find those remote beaches, quiet lochs, or golden ridgelines at sunrise.
The answer isn’t just in the air. It’s on four wheels.

Meet Vanilla — my VW Transporter T6.1 campervan, my rolling HQ, my drone command centre, and quite honestly, my partner-in-flight.

She’s not just transport. She’s the bridge between earth and sky — a machine that lets me live the story I capture through my lens.

Where It All Began

Vanilla came to life at Leighton Vans, where form meets finesse. She was sculpted with their LV-R bodykit, an upgrade that gives her those beautifully aggressive lines and that unmistakable road stance.
Her 20-inch black LV alloys anchor her to the tarmac with quiet confidence — purposeful, poised, and just a little bit smug.

The interior conversion came from Rock N Roll Campers, who turned an empty shell into something that felt alive — soft finishes, clever storage, a rock-solid bed, and that rare thing in a van: soul.

Later, the wizards at Supreme Conversions joined the journey, fitting the awning rail, upgrading her with Transporter HQ headlights and rear lights, and, most recently, installing the stunning Fiamma F43 Van awning.
It’s the kind of awning that unfurls with elegance, like a curtain revealing a stage — the stage where I plan flights, sip coffee, and wait for the light to get just right.

Inside the Machine

Vanilla’s interior is less “campervan” and more “creative sanctuary.”
Every inch is refined: Crib 5 insulation, full sound-deadening, soft carpet lining, and commercial LVT flooring over solid birch ply.
Her Egger HPL furniture gleams softly under warm LED lighting, and her Rusty Lee ¾ bed folds out like a promise of rest after a long day’s flying.

The Skyline pop-top opens to the sky — the same sky my drones inhabit — a seamless link between my ground base and my flying machines.

Outside, the Fiamma F43 Van awning rolls out to create an outdoor workspace: laptop on the table, controller in hand, the hum of the inverter behind me, and the quiet ticking of a cooling drone on the table beside a steaming mug of ginger tea.

It’s not camping. It’s creative engineering in motion.

Powering Creativity

Drone photography isn’t a 9-to-5 hobby. It’s early starts, late edits, and always chasing the right light.
That means Vanilla has to be completely self-sufficient — and she is.

Her power system is rock solid: an Exide EZ850 100 Ah AGM battery managed by a Victron Orion Smart DC-DC charger and Eco-Worthy solar controller, topped up by her XINGCO 120 W solar panel bonded to the pop-top.
It means while I’m flying over coastal cliffs, Vanilla’s quietly charging batteries, cameras, laptops, and the occasional air fryer.

Add in a Victron SmartShunt (so I can track every watt in real time), a Jackery Explorer 1000, a Jackery 240, an Anker 165 W power bank, and a YABER jump starter pack, and you’ve got enough power for a week’s expedition.

Every drone, every camera, every edit — charged, logged, and uploaded before the next take-off.

Fuel for the Pilot

You can’t create on an empty stomach, and Vanilla’s kitchen is a masterpiece of compact design.
A CAN twin hob and marine sink, powered by Campingaz 907, forms the core of her galley.
A 50 L compressor fridge keeps everything crisp, while a toaster, kettle, and Cadac BBQ handle the rest.

But here’s where the magic happens — the Cosori air fryer and Vango Sizzle Double induction hob.
The air fryer is perfect for hot chips at midnight or golden toasties on misty mornings. The induction hob? It’s quiet, precise, and efficient, perfect for cooking while editing the day’s footage in cinematic silence.

When the Fiamma awning is out and the Vango Faro Air III awning is set up alongside, Vanilla transforms into mission control.
Power. Food. Shelter. Wi-Fi. Everything I need to capture the world from above — all in one parked masterpiece.

Warm Nights, Cool Days

Vanilla handles Britain like a pro.
A Webasto diesel heater keeps her toasty on winter shoots, and the factory air-con cools her down when summer edits stretch into the evening.

Her Transporter HQ 69 mm dimmable LEDs light up the interior like a studio set, while BioLite and Vango lanterns add soft ambience — perfect for working late or simply reflecting on the day’s adventures.

Outside, those Transporter HQ Audi-style headlights — installed by Supreme Conversions — slice cleanly through darkness. Her rear lights gleam like runway markers. Her LV-R bodykit and alloys catch the glow of twilight like a film reel catching fire.

She’s not a van. She’s a silhouette of intent.

Connected Everywhere

Vanilla runs her own internet.
Her ZTE Link mobile Wi-Fi router keeps me online for live drone tracking, software updates, uploads, and the occasional cheeky YouTube binge.
She’s a digital basecamp — blending travel, work, and creativity into one smooth system.

After the flights, I unwind with the Nebula Capsule 3 Laser projector (Beamy) and Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K (“Blazey”), projecting straight onto the pop-top.
A Bose Bluetooth speaker fills the cabin with music — sometimes Depeche Mode, sometimes silence, depending on the edit.

Vanilla doesn’t just take me to my subjects — she lets me stay there long enough to fall in love with them.

Safety and Smarts

She’s fitted with a Scorpion Tracker, adaptive cruise control, crosswind assist, and parking sensors — because adventures are better when you can relax behind the wheel.
Her systems talk to my phone via Victron Smart apps, and her power integrates perfectly with Apple HomeKit, giving me complete control even from the driver’s seat.

Out There, in the Light

Vanilla has been everywhere my drones have flown — the NC500, Cornwall’s cliffs, the Welsh mountains, the Lake District, and countless nameless lanes that all lead somewhere unforgettable.

She averages a reliable 35 mpg, purrs happily on long drives, and provides the calm between flights.
When I’m parked under her awning, the kettle bubbling, batteries on charge, and the drone footage downloading, there’s this moment — stillness, satisfaction, and gratitude.

Vanilla isn’t just part of the Nix Drones setup.
She is the setup.
Without her, half my story wouldn’t exist.

Her Signature

Her logo says it all — a clean white silhouette with her pop-top raised, VAN in orange, ILLA in white, and below it, her creed:
“THE ESSENCE OF FREEDOM.”

That’s what it’s all about — the freedom to chase light, to capture beauty, and to live unhurried in a world that’s always rushing.

VANILLA — The Essence of Freedom.
The road half of Nix Drones.
A creative base on wheels.
A companion built for the horizon.

Would you like me to finish this with a short homepage hero caption (like “My mobile flight deck — the campervan that powers every Nix Drones journey”) and a perfect SEO snippet to link Vanilla’s story directly to your site’s drone photography focus?

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