We visit the Bristol bakery run by the same local family for the past 45 years

The alluring smell of freshly baked bread and warm pasties hits you in the face as soon as you set foot inside The Split Tin Bakery.

With its red and white gingham curtains and baskets of breads and cakes, there’s something comforting and timeless about this busy Redland bakery, which has been run by the same family for 45 years.

The shop opened in 1978 when baker Geoff Greenman returned from working for P&O cruise ships. After working as a baker on exotic voyages to the Far East, Australia and New Zealand, he returned to the city where he learnt his trade.

When Mr Greenman died last year, the business was handed down to his daughter, Rachael Pedler, who was still at the local Westbury Park primary school when the shop opened in 1978.

Rachael, who runs the bakery with husband Andrew, started working in the shop when she was 16 and still bakes but her son, Harry, is now the main baker.

On the morning Bristol World visits The Split Tin Bakery, business is brisk and there is rarely a moment when Rachael isn’t serving customers.

As well as traditional loaves, the bakery produces a range of other products including filled rolls and cakes. Apart from the samosas and certain pasties, everything else is made fresh on the premises every morning.

There are slices of warm quiche Lorraine, plump pasties, hot sausage rolls and a huge choice of cakes and biscuits, from Bakewell tarts to triple chocolate shortbreads.

One of the most popular things in the shop is the good value meal deal - it’s £5 for any filled roll with a packet of crisps and a drink.

After 45 years, The Split Tin Bakery has a strong local following in Redland and Westbury Park but its location on busy Coldharbour Road also means it gets a lot of passing trade, too.

“We’ve got a very loyal customer base but we get all sorts in here, from lawyers and teachers to builders and pensioners,” says Rachael. “We’re just very community spirited and we know everyone.”

So what’s the secret recipe for such a popular and long-running bakery when faced with increasing competition from supermarkets and online deliveries?

“We sell good products, everything is fresh and we try not to change things too much. We stick to basic and traditional recipes and old fashioned things people like.

“We’re very lucky because we’ve been really well supported since day one but things have also changed in that time.

“For example, we don’t sell as much bread as we used to, it’s more the takeaway sandwiches and pasties now. A lot of builders come in for their takeaway sandwiches and pasties - and that’s around 60% of our trade now.

“But we wouldn’t have done any of this when my father started the business. It was just bread back then - takeaway sandwiches weren’t really a thing in 1978 were they?”

With energy bills and the cost of ingredients still higher than they were, it’s still hard for small businesses like The Split Tin Bakery but Rachael says they haven’t had to worry quite as much as some bakeries.

“The electric bill is double what it was but I’m very fortunate in that we own the shop. My dad paid the mortgage off before he passed away last year. If we had to pay rent on this place now, it would be unsustainable.

“We’ve had to put a few prices up because the cost of ingredients has gone up, especially flour which increased about £2 a sack, but we’re lucky that we’re established and we don’t owe anything to the bank like some new businesses.

“It’s still hard work but we have such great support from locals that we feel very lucky and grateful to have survived for 45 years.”