THE BAKERY

WE LOVE TO BAKE!

Sourdough is the oldest way of making bread. It uses naturally occurring wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria. It is a live culture called ‘The Mother’ or levain. A sourdough loaf is far more than just amazing flavour and nutrition. It is the product of a process that is both artistic and scientific. A combination of passion, patience, dedication and craftsmanship. It takes time and love. The unique flavour and texture of Mark’s sourdough is down to the flour he uses, the dough temperature, length of fermentation and how it is handled. It is all a carefully considered balance the bakery is founded upon.

MEET MARK

Mark is a self-taught and award-winning baker, specialising in sourdough bread.

Mark started making sourdough 13 years ago, as a hobby, baking it in his Aga. Inspired by The Food Programme on Radio 4 about the slow food movement, Mark set about trying to see if he could make a sourdough loaf for his family using only the best and most local ingredients.  Enjoying his craft, he started to make more than his family could eat, giving his bread away to friends and neighbours. Those friends and neighbours shared the loaves with their friends and neighbours. The sourdough following for ‘Mark’s yummy bread’, was born. Now, due to an overwhelming demand which gathered pace simply by word of mouth at the school gate, he decided to follow his dream, giving up his day job to create sourdough loaves professionally. His company is Mark’s Cotswold Bakery. 

Following on from being awarded a bronze for his White sourdough in the amateur category in September 2017, Mark entered the prestigious World Bread Awards the following year. This time as a professional baker. Entering three sourdough loaves: White with chia seeds; spelt and Cotswold crunch, no less than 90 high-profile judges concluded that all three were of merit, awarding him a silver, bronze and bronze. He went on to win more awards in 2019, one of which was at the National Baking Industry Awards where Mark’s Cotswold Bakery was selected as a Finalist in the Customer Focus category.

May 2019 Mark expanded the bakery into a 1,200 sqft. unit in Chipping Norton, where he now leads a team of six other talented bakers. Last year he added the unit next door and he is now in the process of building a new bakery that will be 5,400 sqft. Their artisan bread is now delivered all around the North Cotswolds, by the bakery’s dedicated drivers.

 As with all Mark’s bread, all his loaves are made from flour ground just a few miles away from his bakery, in the family owned, FWP Matthews Cotswold mill, at Shipton under Wychwood. This mirrors the philosophy behind the business that is Mark’s Bread. Local ingredients, family run.