Baker's Oven are a chain of High Street Bakery Shops which you may or may not be familiar with. They are particularly prominent in the South of England, East Anglia, and the Midlands, but having said that they have been present in Sheffield where I live for many years.

A BIT OF BACKGROUND

Today Bakers Oven are a part of Greggs PLC who acquired the company in 1994 as a part of their extensive expansion plans and in particular as a way of penetrating new Geographical regions of the UK.

Bakers Oven itself was originally owned and operated by Allied Bakeries although this was also an amalgamation of several smaller local Bakery companies that Allied Bakeries had acquired over the years. These acquisitions led to three distinctive regional divisions of Allied Bakeries being formed in Scotland, through its purchase of a local Bakery called Olivers, and other divisions in the South of England and the Midlands.

In 1994 Bakers Oven were actually of a similar size to their new owners Greggs PLC, and as such were actually one of their biggest competitors. About 500 Bakers Ovens shops were bought but some of these were subsequently closed due to their close proximity to Greggs the Bakers own shops. Around Ninety shops in the South East were renamed Greggs to create a second division for Greggs in the South East, called Greggs of Twickenham., whilst the remaining 250 shops were allowed to continue to operate under the Bakers Oven name, thus giving Greggs PLC a second distinctive brand.

WHAT MAKES THEM STAND OUT FROM THE REST?

Almost all of the shops have their own in-store Bakery, Baking fresh produce overnight for sale the following day. Most of the shops also carry out limited Baking throughout the day, whilst they are open, topping up supplies of Pastries and other Savoury items.

Fresh Sandwiches are also made on the premises, these are made throughout the day using freshly Baked Bread from the Ovens.

The main thing however that sets Bakers Ovens apart from their competitors, and their sister shops Greggs the Bakers is that they nearly all have a Café on the premises where you can sit enjoy the Food that they sell. This has proved to be very a popular concept and a service that is offered at no additional cost to the prices for the same items if they are taken away.

Bakers Oven prides itself on the Coffee that it sells, which has been specially created using a unique mix of the finest Arabica Coffee Beans from Columbia, Brazil, Central America and India. These Beans are richly roasted to release the optimum flavour before being blended.

A more recent trend has seen many Shops encouraging their customers to sit down and relax with a Cup of Coffee whilst watching promotional footage on TV screens telling the history of the Bakery from the early days to the present.

WHAT DO THEY SELL?

The products sold can more or less be placed into the following different categories: Sandwiches, Savouries, Snacks, Sweets, and Drinks.

Sandwiches - These are always made fresh on the premises with a variety of different fillings on a wide range of different Breads. Popular fillings include Tuna, Egg, and Chicken.

Savouries - Again these are made fresh on the premises and are usually sold piping hot. Popular items within this range include Sausage Rolls, Pasties, and Pies.

Sweets - These include Pastries, Tarts, Doughnuts, Slices of cake, and things like Egg Custards.

Snacks - These include items like Bags of Crisps, and Chocolate Bars.

Drinks - These include Soft and Fizzy Drinks, including Mineral Water. Hot Drinks include Tea, Coffee, and Chocolate.

MY OPINION

I visit the Bakers Oven probably about once a month. There are two different branches in the centre of Sheffield at the opposite end of the town, yet the layout of both Shops is more or less identical.

There is a nice friendly atmosphere from the Staff and a lovely smell of both freshly Baked Bread and Coffee.

I like the idea that you can sit down inside in the warmth or shelter from the rain if it is raining, but above all I like the fact that it is very relaxed and the Staff will never try and rush you off the premises even when they are busy, and you have only spent a quid on a Mug of Coffee.

On a negative note however I do find that their prices in general do tend to be a little bit higher than some of their competitors, including Greggs.

Overall highly recommended.

Thank you for reading.