The Baker’s Daughter: Sourdough, Family and a Slower Way of Living in Cumbria. More From Bells of Lazonby

As Bells of Lazonby prepares to celebrate its 80th anniversary, a new chapter in the remarkable Bell family baking story is beginning to rise.

Pollyanna Bell, a third-generation member of the family behind the celebrated Cumbrian bakery, has launched The Baker’s Daughter, an intimate venture dedicated to sourdough, traditional skills and the pleasure of making bread slowly and thoughtfully.

The Bell family’s baking heritage stretches back to 1946, when Pollyanna’s grandfather returned home from the Second World War. Starting with little more than determination and a corrugated shed behind the family home in Lazonby and one elderly bread oven, he established the bakery that would eventually become one of Cumbria’s best-known food businesses.

Although Bells of Lazonby has grown considerably during the decades that followed, its foundations have remained firmly rooted in family, community and craftsmanship.

Pollyanna is now drawing upon that history while taking the family tradition in a more personal direction. Through The Baker’s Daughter, she hosts small, hands-on sourdough workshops from her own kitchen.

The classes invite participants to step away from the rush of everyday life and spend time learning the satisfying process of making bread from scratch. From handling and shaping the dough to understanding fermentation and caring for a sourdough starter, the workshops offer an opportunity to learn skills that can be used and enjoyed for many years.

Sourdough is not a bread that responds well to being hurried. It requires patience, observation and an appreciation of natural processes. That makes it a fitting centrepiece for The Baker’s Daughter and its celebration of a slower, more connected way of living.

There is something particularly special about learning these traditional techniques from someone whose family has spent 80 years working with dough. Pollyanna’s workshops are not simply baking lessons; they represent the continuation of a family story that began in a humble shed and has now found a new home around her kitchen table.

At a time when many people are seeking more meaningful experiences and looking to reconnect with the origins of their food, The Baker’s Daughter offers a welcoming return to simplicity.

It is a story of flour, fermentation and family heritage, and proof that even after eight decades, the Bell family’s passion for baking continues to produce something fresh.

https://www.instagram.com/thebakersdaughterlazonby

National Food Bank Day: Supporting the People Who Support Our Communities

Food is something many of us can easily take for granted. We open the cupboard, look in the fridge and decide what we fancy for dinner. 

Yet for a growing number of people, the question isn't what to eat, but whether there will be enough food to eat at all.

National Food Bank Day is an opportunity to recognise the extraordinary work carried out by food banks, their volunteers and everyone who donates food, money or time to help neighbours who are struggling.

Food banks provide emergency supplies to individuals and families experiencing financial hardship. The reasons somebody might need their help are many and varied. A sudden job loss, illness, relationship breakdown, unexpected household bill or delay in receiving benefits can leave a previously financially secure household struggling to put meals on the table.

And food poverty isn't always obvious. The person using a food bank could be somebody you work with, an elderly neighbour or a parent at the school gates.

What Can We Donate?

National Food Bank Day is a good excuse to check the kitchen cupboards and, better still, add a few extra items to the weekly shopping basket specifically for donation.

Food banks commonly welcome long-life products including:

Tinned vegetables, fruit, meat and fish

Pasta, rice and noodles

Pasta sauces

Breakfast cereals

Tea and coffee

UHT milk

Tinned soups

Biscuits and snacks

Long-life fruit juice

Tinned puddings and custard

However, don't automatically assume what your local food bank needs. Many publish regularly updated lists of urgently required products. Some may have plenty of pasta but desperately need tinned meat, coffee or long-life milk.

And remember that food banks frequently need non-food essentials too, including toiletries, sanitary products, nappies, washing powder and household cleaning products.

Every Donation Counts

You don't need to arrive with a trolley overflowing with groceries to make a difference. One tin of beans, a packet of cereal or a carton of long-life milk might seem insignificant, but thousands of people each donating one or two products can make an enormous collective difference.

Supermarket collection points also make donating particularly easy. Simply buy an additional item and place it in the collection box after paying.

At That's Food and Drink, we believe food should bring people together rather than highlight the inequalities between us.

So, on National Food Bank Day, why not find out what your local food bank needs?

Because nobody should have to wonder where their next meal is coming from.

Still Rising After 80 Years: Inside the Cumbrian Bakery That Never Stops Evolving

From a single oven in a corrugated shed to one of Cumbria’s major food producers, Bells of Lazonby has quite a story to tell. 

And as the family-run bakery celebrates its 80th anniversary, it is clear this is a business looking forward as much as it is looking back.

The story began in 1946 when John Bell returned to Lazonby after being held as a prisoner of war in Germany. 

Behind his parents’ village home was a small bakery in a lean-to shed. John planned to run it until he found a job.

As the family now jokes, he never did find that job!

Instead, the bakery grew. Bread and cakes were taken directly to rural communities using mobile shops, eventually expanding to 11 rounds. Bells later opened shops in Penrith, Carlisle, Kendal and elsewhere, while developing its wholesale business.

For second-generation owner Michael Bell, the secret has always been an ability to adapt.

Perhaps the biggest example came in 2000 when Michael tried living as a coeliac for a week and was disappointed by the gluten-free products then available.

“There was nothing in the bakery aisle that I wanted to eat,” he recalls.

His response was ambitious. After discussing the idea with a supermarket buyer, Bells sold one of its shops and built what became the UK’s first purpose-built gluten-free bakery. Within 12 months it was supplying Sainsbury’s and soon expanded into dairy-free products.

Today, the business is roughly evenly divided between conventional and free-from bakery products.

Yet despite its growth, Bells remains firmly connected to Lazonby and the wider Cumbrian community. The bakery supports around 420 local jobs, providing employment, apprenticeships and long-term careers in a rural area where major employers can make an enormous difference.

Its philosophy is summed up by the Bell family’s “three Ps”: people, product and profit. Profit, Michael explains, enables the company to support both its people and the place it calls home.

There are already plans to expand the Lazonby site, increasing production capacity while keeping the business independently owned and headquartered in Cumbria.

The next generation is involved too, with Michael’s daughter Polly recently launching her own venture, The Baker’s Daughter.

After eight decades, Bells of Lazonby offers a wonderful example of British baking heritage that refuses to stand still.

As Michael puts it: “We must build bandwagons, not jump on them.”

Here’s to the next 80 years – and plenty more cakes along the way.

Siren Sounds for Reading FC

Reading Football Club is delighted to welcome Siren Craft Brew as its new Official Local Brewing Partner.

Based just down the road in Finchampstead, Berkshire, Siren will have a prominent presence in the Fan Zone at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, giving Royals supporters the chance to enjoy a selection of locally brewed beers ahead of every home fixture.

Founded in 2013, Siren Craft Brew has grown from its Berkshire roots to build a national reputation for innovative, award-winning beers, making this a natural partnership between two organisations proud to call the county home.

Among the Siren favourites available to supporters will be Lumina Session IPA, alongside Show Your Stripes, a lager created in collaboration with the University of Reading and inspired by its famous Climate Stripes.

The Climate Stripes have become recognised around the world as a powerful visual representation of our changing climate, and are a campaign Reading Football Club has also been proud to support and promote over recent years.

Tim Kilpatrick, Chief Revenue Officer at Reading Football Club, told That's Food and Drink:  “We're delighted to welcome Siren Craft Brew as our Official Local Brewing Partner.

“Siren are a fantastic Berkshire success story and have already built a great connection with many of our supporters, so we're really pleased to bring their beers into the Fan Zone on matchdays.

“We want the Fan Zone to continue developing into a real destination for supporters before kick-off, and having a quality local brewery like Siren involved is another important part of that.

“We're looking forward to working closely with the Siren team throughout the season, including some fun activations for Royals fans along the way.”

Andy Nowlan of Siren Craft Brew added: “We're incredibly proud to be officially connected to Reading FC. Our customers, teams and local community have overlapped for so long, it feels like a very natural fit, and a privilege as an independent brewery to have this opportunity. Royals fans can expect not just brewery-fresh beer on matchdays in the Fan Zone, but plenty of other rewards and surprises throughout the season.

"We can't wait to get started!”

Siren is kicking things off by offering Royals season ticket holders free fries with their pints on matchdays at the brewery's town centre tap room, with more offers hitting member's inboxes this week.

sirencraftbrew.com

Raise a Glass to World Plant Milk Day

Whether you pour it over your morning cereal, froth it for a cappuccino or use it to add creaminess to a curry, plant milk has become a familiar sight in British kitchens.

World Plant Milk Day, celebrated annually on 22 August, is an opportunity to explore the growing range of dairy-free drinks now available. It is not about telling everyone to abandon traditional milk; it is simply an invitation to try something different and discover which plant-based option best suits your tastes.

The choice has expanded enormously. Oat milk is a favourite among coffee drinkers because of its naturally creamy texture, while soya milk is a versatile all-rounder that works well in drinks, sauces and baking. Almond milk has a lighter, gently nutty flavour, coconut milk brings a tropical touch, and alternatives made from peas, cashews, hazelnuts, rice and hemp offer even more variety.

Why not mark World Plant Milk Day with a taste test? Pick up two or three different cartons and compare them in tea, coffee or cereal. You might also try using plant milk to make pancakes, porridge, smoothies, custard, rice pudding or a comforting mug of hot chocolate.

When shopping, remember that plant milks can differ considerably in taste and nutritional content. If you are using one as a regular replacement for cows’ milk, check the label for calcium, iodine, vitamin B12, riboflavin and vitamin A. Recent UK government guidance recommends choosing products fortified with these nutrients at levels comparable with semi-skimmed cows’ milk.

Protein levels vary too. Soya and pea drinks tend to contain more protein than many oat, almond or rice varieties. Unsweetened products can be a good choice if you want to avoid unnecessary added sugar, while shaking the carton before pouring helps redistribute nutrients that may have settled.

Parents considering plant-based drinks for babies or young children should seek appropriate health advice, as their nutritional needs are particularly important and not every product is suitable.

World Plant Milk Day is also a useful reminder that food choices do not have to be all or nothing. You could retain dairy milk for some purposes while enjoying oat milk in coffee or coconut milk in cooking.

So, on 22 August, raise a glass to experimentation. You may discover a new favourite, and give your breakfasts, bakes and hot drinks a delicious little shake-up in the process.

Great Taste Awards Success for Piątnica and Dairly

Polish dairy co-operative OSM Piątnica is celebrating after three of its products earned prestigious stars at the Great Taste Awards 2026.

Piątnica High-Protein Raspberry Drinking Skyr and Dairly Cottage Cheese each received one star, while Dairly Whipped Cream Cheese impressed the judges sufficiently to secure a coveted two-star award.

The recognition for Piątnica High-Protein Raspberry Drinking Skyr was particularly significant. It was the only skyr to receive a star during this year’s competition, helping it stand out in what has become an increasingly busy and popular area of the dairy market.

Organised by the Guild of Fine Food, Great Taste is one of the UK’s most respected food and drink awards programmes. Products are assessed through blind tastings, meaning judges are not shown packaging, branding or any other information that might influence their decisions.

Instead, every product must succeed on its own merits. Judges consider flavour, aroma, texture, the balance of ingredients and the overall eating or drinking experience. The panels include chefs, critics, retailers, buyers, producers and other experienced food and drink professionals.

A one-star award indicates a product with very good flavour, while two stars are given to outstanding products that rise above the competition. The two-star result for Dairly Whipped Cream Cheese therefore represents an especially impressive achievement.

The awards also reflect OSM Piątnica’s emphasis on milk quality, carefully selected ingredients and consistency throughout the production process.

Based in Poland, the dairy co-operative works with around 2,000 farms, most of them situated in the green landscapes of the country’s north-eastern region. Every batch of incoming raw milk is tested, with quality controls continuing throughout production. Finished products are also assessed for important qualities such as flavour, aroma and texture.

OSM Piątnica produces an extensive range that includes cottage cheese, yoghurt, skyr, curd cheese, milk and cream. Its products can now be found across nearly 30 international markets.

Dairly is the co-operative’s international brand, developed for consumers seeking tasty, dependable dairy products made with simple ingredients. Its name is inspired by the phrase “Your daily dairy”, reflecting the brand’s ambition to become part of everyday meals and snacks.

With three award-winning products, and four Great Taste stars between them, OSM Piątnica has certainly given dairy lovers something worth discovering.

piatnica.com.pl

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Celebrate National Burger Day with the Burger of Your Dreams

There are some national food days that require a little explanation. National Burger Day isn't one of them. 

Mention burgers and most of us immediately have an opinion about what makes the perfect one.

For That's Food and Drink, National Burger Day is an excellent excuse to celebrate one of the most versatile, popular and gloriously messy meals around.

The beauty of a burger is that there really isn't a single correct way to make one. Traditionalists might favour a juicy beef patty topped with mature Cheddar, fried onions, lettuce, tomato, ketchup and mustard. Others prefer to pile their burgers high with bacon, onion rings, jalapeños, pickles, barbecue sauce, chilli sauce or even a fried egg.

And that's before we get to the important matter of the bun. Brioche has become enormously popular, but there's still plenty to be said for a traditional sesame-seed bun, pretzel roll or soft white bap.

Of course, burgers are no longer just about beef.

Chicken burgers can be grilled, breaded or fried, while fish makes another tasty alternative. Vegetarian and vegan burgers have also come a very long way. Beans, lentils, mushrooms and vegetables can produce excellent burgers, while a thick slice of grilled halloumi with roasted peppers and chilli sauce can make a particularly satisfying meat-free option.

National Burger Day is also a great opportunity to get the family or a group of friends together for a build-your-own burger evening.

Put bowls of cheese, lettuce, sliced tomatoes, onions, pickles and jalapeños on the table alongside a selection of sauces and let everybody construct their own masterpiece. Add chips, sweet potato fries, onion rings, coleslaw, corn on the cob or a crunchy salad and you've got a feast.

If the weather is kind, burgers are naturally at home on the barbecue, although it's important to remember that burgers made from minced meat should always be thoroughly cooked.

We're also issuing a little National Burger Day challenge at That's Food and Drink: create the burger you've always wanted to eat.

It can be enormous or modest, traditional or experimental, meaty or completely plant-based. You could even raid the fridge and turn last night's leftovers into today's burger sensation.

There is really only one test.

If you can finish your National Burger Day creation without needing at least one napkin, perhaps you haven't been quite adventurous enough!

Happy National Burger Day from That's Food and Drink, and enjoy your burger!

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Broken Biscuits for Breakfast? The Cereal Upgrade Nobody Asked For... But Everyone Deserves

Here at That's Food and Drink, we occasionally stumble across culinary innovations so revolutionary that we wonder why Michelin-starred chefs haven't already thought of them.

Today, we're talking about mixing biscuits with your breakfast cereal.

Yes. Biscuits!

Before the nutrition police arrive and confiscate our cornflakes, hear us out.

Most of us have, at some point, encountered the glorious institution that is the box of broken biscuits. These boxes are one of Britain's great food bargains: an archaeological dig through layers of biscuit fragments where you never quite know what you're going to uncover.

A bit of digestive.

Half a custard cream.

Something chocolatey.

A mysterious pink wafer that's apparently survived several major geological events.

And occasionally, jackpot!, almost an entire bourbon.

But here's the question: why simply eat them as biscuits?

Give Your Breakfast Some Pizzazz

Your average bowl of breakfast cereal can sometimes be a little… predictable.

Cereal.

Milk.

Spoon.

Repeat tomorrow.

But take several broken biscuits, crumble them over the top or even mix them in and suddenly breakfast has undergone a transformation worthy of a television makeover programme.

Cornflakes with crushed digestives?

Surprisingly good.

Rice cereal with broken bourbons?

Now we're talking.

Bran flakes with crumbled custard creams?

Well, you've already chosen bran flakes, so frankly you've earned a little excitement.

And chocolate biscuits scattered over something relatively sensible like Weetabix create the wonderful illusion that you're simultaneously being healthy and having pudding.

That's efficiency.

The Broken Biscuit Breakfast Lottery

The real fun begins when you have one of those assorted boxes of broken biscuits.

Don't look.

Just reach in, grab a handful, crush them slightly and scatter them over your cereal and stir them in.

Every breakfast becomes a culinary lottery.

Will today's bowl contain shortbread?

Chocolate digestives?

Nice biscuits?

Some Biscoff biscuits?

A fragment of something involving jam?

Who knows?

It's breakfast with an element of danger.

Obviously, we're not suggesting you empty half a kilogram of chocolate biscuits over a lonely cornflake and then tell your GP that That's Food and Drink said it counted as a balanced breakfast.

A little restraint may be appropriate.

But as an occasional treat, a sprinkling of biscuit rubble can transform an ordinary bowl of cereal into something much more interesting.

It also gives those poor broken biscuits a sense of purpose.

They may have been rejected from polite biscuit society because they're cracked, chipped or missing important structural components, but on top of a bowl of cereal they can finally fulfil their destiny.

So next time you see a box of broken biscuits, don't merely think tea break.

Think breakfast ingredient.

Because sometimes all your cornflakes need is a little pizzazz.

And possibly half a bourbon, or several Biscoffs. And a dollop of cream or full fat yogurt as a topper?