40 Years In Chipping Sodbury Shop

This September, we had the pleasure of celebrating baking for 40 years in Chipping Sodbury as Hobbs House Bakery. Over the last four decades, we've had the pleasure of serving the community with our fresh bread and working alongside some wonderful people who have shaped the shop into what it is today!

Timeline of Hobbs House Bakery

1920: Over 100 years ago, Thomas and Mabel Herbert began their bakery in Down Ampney, continuing the family tradition as second-generation bakers.

1960: Their son, David Herbert started Herberts Bakery, which grew to include over 25 bakeries across the South West.

1980: Our fourth-generation baker, Trevor Herbert, now Chairman of Hobbs House Bakery, opened a Herbert's Bakery in Chipping Sodbury with his family, including eldest sons Tom and George Herbert.

1985: Trevor's brother in law, Sam Wells, took over the Herbert's Sodbury shop with his parents John and Marjorie. They renamed it as the first Hobbs House Bakery.

1920: Business was booming, and the Wells family outgrew the space on Chipping Sodbury High Street as wholesale demand increased. We moved our wholesale operation into a larger space, originally what many may know as ‘Mrs G’s café.’ This is also when two of our head bakers, Mark and Elaine, joined us. Incredibly, both are still baking with us today!

2020: As demand for our products grew, it became essential to stay at the heart of Chipping Sodbury. Fortunately, we were able to take on the entire site at Hatters Lane, where we now supply bread across the country to customers including the National Trust, the Co-op, and Gloucester Services.

2025: We're developing our bakery with future generations in mind. Now featuring sustainable upgrades such as solar panels, a fleet of electric vans, and a state of the art evaporative cooling system.

Bringing Back the Sodbury Cake

To celebrate this milestone, we decided to bring back a customer favourite: the Sodbury Cake. A moreish date, walnut, and molasses sponge topped with caramel icing.

Sam’s mum, Marjorie, started baking it not long after taking over the shop in the '80s. Rumoured to be the Queen Mother’s favourite cake, this recipe has been passed down and enjoyed by many generations.

We're so lucky to be in this position and it's all down to our fantastic, loyal customers.

Thank you,

Team Hobbs