The Bakery

Our bakery is where an eager team of people, led by Anne Garthwaite, work closely to produce a tempting range of fresh foods, both sweet and savoury. As a department that is continually evolving it has become one of the main highlights of Blacker Hall Farm Shop. Initially set up to provide a small amount of bread and baking to add to the ‘farm shop’ image, now around 40% of all items bought are produced in our own bakery.

The sounds of chopping apples and grating carrots, combined with the smells of roast meats from the oven and simmering tomatoes often radiate into the shop. There is never a moment where you can’t sense food in the making, the freshness apparent in every aspect. New ideas spring into life regularly, expanding a wholesome range of bakery items. Award-winning bakery items include a range that comprises fresh bread and cakes, freshly prepared readymeals, meat pies, quiches, and much more.

Anne’s firm beliefs in baking, and cooking in general, stem from her many years of running a farmhouse and raising her four children. With fresh ingredients like cereals, milk, fruit, vegetables and eggs on her doorstep there was always some delicious aroma filling the kitchen. Naturally, everything created in our kitchen has a real farmhouse feel, we use original recipes, free of preservatives, and natural ingredients rather than bought-in mixes. We make all our own pastry, the meat fillings in the pies are from our own farm and everything is prepared with real care and attention to detail.

We bake in small batches of between twenty and thirty pieces to ensure that none of the high standards that can be achieved in a household kitchen are compromised. We have bigger tins and a larger oven - that is the only difference!