The Laughing Loaf: new bakery opens in Rochdale town centre

Rachel Goodyear - The Laughing Loaf

The Laughing Loaf, a new independent bakery, has opened on The Walk in Rochdale town centre selling traditional treats like Eccles cakes, Manchester tart and hotpot.

Owners Rachel Goodyear and Patrick Jarrett have been selling their goods, which they source from independent bakeries across Lancashire, on Rochdale Market for two years and have built up a loyal following. They also run a regular stall on Middleton Market on Tuesdays.

Rachel said: "We've only been here a few days and we've been really busy. We've got a full list of orders for mince pies and fresh bread, which people want for Christmas, and we're already looking to use all the space we have here to start selling fresh sandwiches, hot and cold lunch and breakfast options and Jamaican delicacies in the new year.

"Independent businesses are a really important part of the high street and people are responding well to us.

"None of our food is mass produced, and some of our customers just pop in for a chat and some company, which you wouldn't necessarily be able to do in larger stores."

Rachel added: "Without the council's rates sale, we wouldn't have been an able to open this shop, because the costs of setting up in a unit for the first time are so high. It was a great opportunity for us."

Council leader, Councillor Richard Farnell, said: "While our £250m regeneration programme will bring the well-known names we desperately need into Rochdale, independent businesses are an equally important part of any quality high street.

"The huge cost of setting up in a unit for the first time means that having a proper high base is often beyond their reach for many of these small businesses. That's why we set up this initiative, to give them the push they needed to invest in Rochdale and turn our empty units into thriving businesses."