Our Story

Having worked in senior roles in the baking industry, it was Johns ambition to begin his own family business, with an aspiration to open a 'bakers dozen' of shops in the coming years. John established Thomas the Baker in 1981 along with his wife Valerie and two sons Gareth and Simon, now with two granddaughters Sian and Bethany closely linked to the business, it remains very much a family affair.

Meet the Family

The key ethics of freshness, quality, value for money and the importance of the team are still as important today as they were 43 years ago.

With a passion for baking, it's our desire to give you the best bakery products you can buy.

We like to keep it local, so wherever possible we buy our raw materials from businesses in the Yorkshire region. Around 65% of these are locally sourced and include dairy, meat and wheat. A further 20% is UK sourced and the remaining ingredients are imported from reputable international sources.

Our most important asset is our people. There are a great many fantastic stories, like the one about Margaret who has now been with the business for 43 years. Margaret walked 6 miles in the snow to make the Sandwiches in Malton because she didn't want to let the customers and the team down!

This year sees us celebrating 43 years of long service for 7 of our original team members who helped start Thomas the Baker with us back in 1981. Once a year we invite along our 20, 25, 30 and now 35 year long service members of the team to join the family for a great night out to celebrate their fantastic loyalty to Thomas the Baker. We are exceptionally proud of them, and enjoy great company and food, and a few well deserved drinks. This year we are delighted to be able to boast that over 60 team members have given us their loyalty for 20 years of service or more.

Meet the Team

A rich History

Though the idea of Thomas the Baker dates back to a evening conversation in 1979 with the first store opening in 1981 our history dates back to the 1960's.

Over the following 43 years and 28 store openings Thomas the Baker has become a beloved part of many High Streets across much of Yorkshire and the North East of England.

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