A BLACKBURN bakery is enjoying nationwide success after producing specialist pies, pasties and cakes for people on restricted diets.

Wood’s Craft Bakery in Whalley New Road first opened in 1984, in much smaller premises in Longridge, and since then it has gone from strength to strength.

Headed up by husband and wife team Barry and Catherine Wood, the bakery originally started out only selling bread.

But Barry said the business had to diversify in order to compete with large supermarkets, which were selling bread cheaply.

The Woods spotted a gap in the market for specialist foods for people on low sugar or gluten-free diets, and their products are now being sold all over the UK.

Wood’s Craft Bakery has a range of products, including gluten-free pasties, and low-sugar cakes for diabetics.

Lancashire Telegraph:

The bakery has customers as far apart as East Lothian in Scotland, Somerset, and the Isle of Man.

Barry Wood said: “Unfortunately low- sugar products for diabetics is a growth market.

“A lot of young people are being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, and gluten-free diets have grown by 32 per cent, and are set to grow by 20 per cent next year for some reason, I don’t know why.

“People are also more concerned about what they’re eating, and our products don’t contain food colouring or preservatives.

“Once upon a time it was all bread, but we find out what the customer wants and give it to them but make sure it’s good quality and the right price.

“All our produce is produced on the premises. And our products go places, from the top to the bottom of the country.

“The business is growing nice and slowly, but steadily.”