Popular authentic artisan bakery in Clitheroe celebrates first anniversary

An authentic artisan bakery in the heart of the Ribble Valley is celebrating its first birthday and a highly successful year, despite opening its doors during such challenging times.
Owner, Mark Solomon (right) and Head Baker, Damian Crowther outside the bakery on Whalley Road.Owner, Mark Solomon (right) and Head Baker, Damian Crowther outside the bakery on Whalley Road.
Owner, Mark Solomon (right) and Head Baker, Damian Crowther outside the bakery on Whalley Road.

Mark’s Artisan Bakery and Pie shop, based on Whalley Road in Clitheroe opened in June last year and has been enjoying regular queues out onto the street since.

The bakery prides itself on being the only truly authentic artisan bakery in the area, with proof of this in the taste of the produce, going by the many positive comments and reviews on their social media pages.

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Owner, Mark Solomon, and his team hand make every bread, pie and cake from scratch, fresh every day on the premises. No preservatives or chemicals are used in the baking process which means the bread needs to be sold that day to ensure it is enjoyed at it’s best. But that isn’t normally an issue when you drive past and see the empty shop window within a few hours of opening each day!

Mark commented “I’m delighted to be celebrating our first year in business despite the huge challenges that small high street businesses have faced, due to the pandemic. I really believe that consumer eating and shopping habits are changing in relation to the requirements for less processed food and waste.

"This is why it is so important to me that I know each and every ingredient that goes into all of the produce in my bakery, and the reason that I decided to be a truly authentic bakery baking everything from scratch - not premade ingredients that some bakeries and supermarkets may buy in."

The philosophy seems to be working, as we have wonderful feedback from so many customers who keep coming back to the shop for more. I even had one customer say her children won’t eat any supermarket bread after eating our bread for their sandwiches!”

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Mark’s roots are from Russia and he grew up around his family who were bakers, so has always had a keen interest in baking. Mark has also owned various restaurants over the years where he has been the head chef, including Quizine that was located in the Swan Courtyard in Clitheroe town centre.