In the village of Lazonby, nestled in the Eden Valley, one of Cumbria’s longest-standing food businesses is quietly preparing to mark a major milestone.
Bells of Lazonby turns 80 in July – a family-run bakery that has grown from a corrugated shed behind a village house into a major UK supplier, while remaining firmly rooted in the community where it began.
For second-generation owner Michael Bell, the anniversary is less about looking back and more about what comes next. Speaking ahead of the celebrations, he said: “Bells has always been a business that adapts. Understanding supply and demand, spotting trends and responding to them, that ability to pivot has been key to our growth over the past 80 years.”
That mindset has been part of the business since its earliest days. John Bell founded the bakery in 1946 after returning from captivity as a prisoner of war in Germany.
“He came back to Lazonby and joined his parents, who had bought a house in the centre of the village,” Michael explained. “Behind the house was a small bakery in a lean-to corrugated shed with just a single oven. He asked my grandfather if he could get the bakery going until he found a job – we always joke that he never did find a job, because the business grew from there.”
What followed was a story of hard graft and steady expansion. Michael’s father built the business by selling bread and cakes directly to rural communities, taking a mobile shop across the fellside villages. He would build up a round, pass it on to a roundsman, then start another – eventually growing to 11 mobile shops.
From there, he opened stores in towns such as Penrith, Carlisle and Kendal. At one stage, Bells of Lazonby had around 18 shops across the county, alongside a growing wholesale operation.
That ability to evolve has defined the business ever since – perhaps most notably in 2000, when Michael made a decision that would reshape the future of the business.
“I tried living as a coeliac for a week and was really disappointed with what was available,” he said. “There was nothing in the bakery aisle that I wanted to eat.”
That frustration led to a bold move. After pitching the idea to a supermarket buyer, Michael sold one of the company’s shops and set about building what would become the UK’s first purpose-built gluten-free bakery.
“There was no contract – just belief,” he said. “Within 12 months, we had built the bakery, developed the products and were supplying Sainsbury’s. They then asked for dairy-free products as well, so we adapted again. Today, that decision has fundamentally shaped the business. We are now roughly 50/50 between free-from and conventional bakery products.”
At the heart of that journey is what the Bell family call the “three Ps” – people, product and profit – a philosophy passed down from founder John Bell.
“They all sit in the same economic sandwich,” he said. “Profit supports our people and our place. In a community like Lazonby, we have a big impact, so it’s about maximising the positive and minimising the negative.”
That sense of responsibility is evident in how the business operates today. Bells of Lazonby remains one of the area’s largest employers, supporting 420 local jobs and creating opportunities for families, apprentices and long-term careers in a rural part of the county where such stability is vital.
It’s also a business that continues to invest in its future. Plans are in place to expand the Lazonby site, with land secured that could significantly increase production capacity.
“In the next 80 years, I would love to see the business remain independently owned,” said Bell. “Not part of a large international group, but still headquartered here in Lazonby, continuing to invest in the site and in our people.”
That independence is underpinned by a strong family presence. Today, the business is guided by a family board that meets quarterly, bringing together multiple generations – including Bell’s daughter Polly, who has recently launched her own venture, ‘The Baker’s Daughter’.
But while the heritage is clear, Bells of Lazonby is equally focused on overcoming the challenges ahead.
“There are real challenges ahead for every business, but as we have shown before, Bells of Lazonby will weather the storm and continue to grow while holding our people at the core of everything we do.”
For a business that began with a single oven in a village shed, that perspective feels grounded in experience.
“The Bells of Lazonby business has always changed – that has been our blueprint,” Bell added. “If you’re not thinking about what’s next, someone else will be. We can’t stand still, and we never have. I’ve always said we must build bandwagons, not jump on them. I think there is a lot of opportunity in special diets, and I’d like to see us exporting more, but the landscape must be right.”
Eighty years on, Bells of Lazonby remains what it has always been: a business shaped by its place, its people and its willingness to evolve – with one eye firmly on the future.
