Bakery Triumphs In Enterprise Awards

The awards celebrate the communities, produce, traditions and skills of the countryside through the people who work so hard to make the British Countryside work. They recognise the best of those who have taken up the challenge of diversification, as well as excellence in traditional businesses.

The Alliance says, “This year’s crop of winners are an inspiring group of people, all of them dedicated to their communities, supporting each other and ensuring a future for rural Britain and its enterprising businesses, whatever the wider economic climate.”

All regional winners now go forward to the national final for the chance to add a UK title to their regional one, competing against fellow Enterprise winners from across England, Wales and Scotland. Held at a reception at the House of Lords on Wednesday 18th March 2009 and hosted by The Baroness Golding the overall national winners will be announced on the day. Past receptions have had a wonderful atmosphere of celebration bringing together like-minded people from the four corners of Britain.

The Countryside Alliance Awards are held in association with the Farmers Weekly and The Daily Telegraph.

Looking to diversify within farming, the Bitmead family opened The Bakery some 26 years ago having converted the old shire horse stables and cart sheds to house it. Last September saw the completion of the last of the barn conversions on the farm which houses The Gallery.

Supporting British businesses, The Gallery sells interiors that are produced here in the UK. Laid out as a home there are seven spacious rooms including a kitchen, dining room, study, children’s room and bedrooms. Most customers walk in and announce they’d like to move in! Absolutely everything is for sale from the kitchen itself to hundreds of treats for under ten pounds.

The bakery produces everything by hand, in small batches, to traditional recipes. Old fashioned cottage loaves, five seed spelt, crusty oval tops, cheese and onion plaits, stoneground organic wholemeal, sticky lardy cakes, currant loaves and so the list goes on.