Hobbs House Bakery is celebrating 25 years at its shop in Nailsworth, marking a quarter of a century of freshly baked bread, familiar faces and eye-catching displays beside the river.
The family-run bakery opened at 4 George Street in 2001 after taking over the premises from Selsley Farm Shop. The business had been searching for a location where it could become part of Nailsworth’s established independent food scene before settling on the riverside site.
Its arrival began with a small but memorable gesture. A single loaf of bread was placed on a pillar in the illuminated shop window to attract the curiosity of people passing by. That window has since become one of the bakery’s defining features.
From a single loaf to a Nailsworth landmark
Over the years, the display has been transformed for winter, Easter and back-to-school themes, among many other occasions. A 2024 Christmas nativity display attracted attention from the BBC and led to the bakery being featured on Have I Got News For You!
The Nailsworth branch was the third outlet opened by Hobbs House Bakery and held particular importance for founders Tom and Anna Herbert, who lived nearby in Horsley with their baby son, Milo.
In the early days, Tom cycled down the hill each morning to switch on the coffee machine and stock the French bread rack with freshly baked loaves. Anna and Milo would arrive later, with baby Milo often sleeping beneath the cake table.
The shop introduced several firsts for the business, including illy coffee and an open-plan café space that soon became a popular meeting place. An upstairs café and a wood-fired oven were added in later years.
Staff, customers and community connections
As the business expanded, some members of its team became part of what the bakery describes as the Hobbs House family for decades. Fee and Amanda have both worked at the Nailsworth shop for more than 20 years and remain central to its story.
The bakery has also emphasised the importance of employing people from the local community, including young people taking on their first Saturday jobs.
There are family connections within the business, too. Henry Herbert, now the company’s sales director, met his wife Jess while she was working at the shop. The couple later returned to the upstairs café to run the Feast with Henry Herbert supper club together.
That history has unfolded alongside changes in customers’ tastes, but several familiar products remain popular. Hobbs House says its organic breads continue to sell well, while rising enthusiasm for sourdough has increased demand for loaves made with its 71-year-old rye sourdough starter.
Familiar favourites remain
The Hiker’s Bar is still made using the family’s original recipe, while the Sherston loaf remains a favourite for toast.
Reflecting on the anniversary, Hobbs House Bakery said it felt incredibly lucky to have been part of life in Nailsworth for so long. The business thanked customers who had supported it since the beginning, as well as those who had only recently discovered the shop, and credited local shopping and a shared enthusiasm for real bread with helping it reach the milestone.
“We’d like to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported us along the way. Whether you’ve been with us from the very beginning or have only just recently discovered us.
“Thank you for choosing to shop locally and sharing our love for real bread over the years. Here’s to another twenty-five years in Nailsworth.”
