A POPULAR artisan bakery has moved to a larger shop space as it embarks on the next stage of its business venture.

Edward Street Bakery decided to invest in new premises on Bingley Road after it "outgrew" its tiny bakery in Saltaire village.

It's a dream come true for the team of five bakers - Lisa Fraser, Donna Reynolds, Rosie Mae Halstead, Alex Nuttall and Rebecca Macintyre - which started from humble beginnings in a home kitchen.

Lisa told the Telegraph & Argus: "We needed a bigger space, bigger ovens. Our little ovens were packing in and we thought if we were going to invest we should go for it. We’ve been waiting for a shop on this road for years. We just thought, let’s do it."

The bakery rose in popularity after pop up bake days on weekends with people queuing round the block from the early morning.

The bakery moved into small premises on Myrtle Road with what it described as a 'market stall style of trading' and, just over two years later, the hype has developed even more.

The team has won several awards including Best New Business, a Great Taste award for its chocolate brownie and Best Customer Service at the Bradford Means Business Awards 2019.

Despite reopening in the pandemic, the bakery has faith that surrounding residents will continue to shop locally.

"The people of Saltaire are really protective about their shops and also looking after each other," Lisa said.

"Part of that is thanks to the festival, because the festival brings people together. People are like 'These are our shops and we're going to use them'. It's a very friendly place.

"You don't really need to leave this high street - you can probably get everything you need here.

"People here are well travelled, they work in various interesting jobs. They're well travelled so they know what's good.

"We finally had to admit we had outgrown the space again and were planning to move to larger premises with state-of-the-art equipment when Covid-19 arrived. We have faced many challenges setting up and opening a business during the pandemic, but are set to open bigger and better than ever."

And it's the people of Saltaire and surrounding Bradford area who inspire its ever-evolving batches of sweet treats, pastries and sandwiches.

From game sausage rolls, masala halloumi dahl and use of Pakistani spices, it all starts with the "cultural influences" of the district.

"You can get the best ingredients but also if you're growing up in Bradford you've got the BAME, Asian, cooks and try lots of different flavours," Lisa said.

"It's engrained in people in Bradford, all these cultures mixed together. We get all walks of life walking in.

"We blend the diverse cultural influences into our bakes creating a unique experience."