Businesses in Kendal are taking part in #yourewelcomekendal, a campaign to promote all the fantastic cafes, restaurants, pubs, bars, producers and food retailers in the town.
As part of the campaign we’ve been catching up with the people behind the businesses to find out why they love what they do.
Marianne Woodend worked at high quality restaurants including L’Enclume, in Cartmel, and the Drunken Duck, near Ambleside, before starting The Bakery at No.4 from her kitchen at home.
The bakery, in Woolpack Yard, has a loyal following with Marianne also baking cakes to order for special occasions.
“The Bakery at No.4 is all based around making tasty homemade food; like good pieces of cake should be,” says Marianne.
“We are cake specialists, we offer all manner of bespoke cakes. So celebration cakes, wedding cakes, Christenings, the full spectrum. It’s like the bits of cake that you had growing up; the wedge of cake that your mum gives you or that your gran gives you. A lot of the recipes are still recipes that I’ve grown up with and I still use my grandma’s recipe for Victoria sponge
“We have been trading in Kendal for a little over seven years now, but moved to much larger premises just at the beginning of Covid. Covid was kind of terrifying because nobody knew when or if everything was going to open up again. We’ve just been really lucky that we’ve had such a loyal customer base from the old shop that’s followed us here. And we’ve been able to build on that as well.
“I am a pastry chef by trade but I couldn’t carry on working after I had my first child, so I started the business literally baking with one hand and holding a baby with the other. Then I would arrange childcare for the following day and go to sell the cakes at markets and shows around South Cumbria.
“We have got such an amazingly loyal customer base here that are so supportive and we have some people that have been coming from day one, some come every week and some every couple of weeks. I think people in Kendal want to go out and support the businesses that they want to see.
“I think what drew me initially to Kendal is that it’s very much about small independent businesses. It’s one of those high streets that has stayed quite lively and I think it’s because it does offer something that you don’t get in every other town or city centre. What makes me want to stay here is that sense of loyalty. People are just very, very supportive and very keen to see you do well.”
You can check out The Bakery at No.4 at www.bakery4.co.uk
About #yourewelcomekendal
#yourewelcomekendal is being funded by the Government’s Welcome Back Fund. The Welcome Back Fund is funded by the European Regional Development Fund and HM Government as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020.
