Julian’s successful career; started in the family Bakery in Liverpool, he then joined the RAF as a chef and later cooked for three years for John Major, when he was Prime Minister in Downing Street and Chequers. He joined the brigade at Hambleton Hall, cooking Michelin starred meals and quickly rising to become second chef, where he remained for some 9 years.

Julian is an enthusiast and generous teacher sharing his knowledge with employees, customers and all that will listen.

A Rutland based entrepreneur who founded Hambleton Hall (1980) Harts Restaurant (1997) Harts Hotel (2003) and Hambleton Bakery (2008).

Hambleton bakery was formed as a partnership between Julian and Tim to make top quality bread for the existing restaurants. The success of the product led to the opening of six shops and more than 150 wholesale accounts. The product range was gradually expanded to include cakes and savouries which share our bread philosophy. The best ingredients, no additives and traditional recipes.

A landmark moment came in 2012 when the Bakery was the outright winner of the ITV programme “Britain’s Best Bakery” to choose the country’s best small bakery.

We now deliver throughout our region bounded by Chatsworth and Doddington Hall to the North and Peterborough and Northampton to the south.

“I STILL WANTED TO BE A BRITISH BAKER AND MAKE BRITISH PRODUCTS, BUT I WANTED TO MODERNISE THE WAY WE DO IT.”

“EMPLOYING ARTISAN BAKERS, SKILLED CHEFS AND CONFECTIONERS WE PRODUCE TRADITIONAL BREADS, SAVOURIES AND CAKES; USING THE BEST LOCAL INGREDIENTS, WHEREVER POSSIBLE; PRODUCING THEM WITHOUT ANY ADDITIVES, USING LONG ESTABLISHED RECIPES”

Initially the aim was to rediscover the taste of good bread. Not the taste of sugar, cheese, onions, olives, sundried tomatoes, but the magical flavour that can be conjured from unadulterated flour, salt and water using the slow, traditional processes that made the bread that fed our ancestors.

Hambleton Bakery has grown to supply eight Hambleton Bakery shops, Hambleton Hall, Harts Nottingham, many farm shops and delis across the surrounding counties as well as restaurants, gastro pubs and artisan cafes. The network of wholesale customers continues to grow and spreads more widely word of the health benefits of traditional artisan bread and cake making. More recently the Elite Athlete Centre & Hotel in Loughborough University, has become a customer of ours; this University train some of our finest athletes and Olympians, who demand high nutritional standards.