Cosgriff and Sons, Tower Street, in Best Bakery competition

Cosgriff and Sons has been nominated for The Press Best Bakery competition, aiming to celebrate the best of the best in the area.

Readers can vote for the Best Bakery 2024 by picking up copies of The Press newspaper until Saturday, September 14, with the winner set to be announced the week of Monday, September 23.

Cosgriff and Sons describes itself as a micro bakery, specialising in sourdough products.

Sourdough bread by Cosgriff and Sons which has been nominated for The Press Best Bakery competition (Image: James_Drury_Photography)

Former fine dining chef Paul Cosgriff is the man behind the business and runs it with his partner Janet Bruce.

Paul was a chef for 20 years and worked at Le Cochon Aveugle and Grays Court Hotel in York before an accident led him to a culinary career change.

"I slipped on some water and smashed up my hip which meant I couldn't work as a chef anymore,” the Australian, who settled in York in eight years ago, previously told The Press. "I'd always loved making bread – it was my release, my passion – so I started doing that."

A hearty sandwich by Cosgriff and Sons which has been nominated for The Press Best Bakery competition (Image: James_Drury_Photography)

Janet explained that in 2020, with their youngest child born prematurely and with complications, Paul decided to rethink his career, knowing that the work demands of a commercial kitchen would not suit life with a young family.

He has always had an interest in sourdough, she said, and began making bread in their kitchen for family and friends.

Doughnuts by Cosgriff and Sons which has been nominated for The Press Best Bakery competition (Image: James_Drury_Photography)

And so, with the country in lockdown, Paul started delivering handmade sourdough loaves direct to people’s doorsteps.

Bakery grew from owner making bicycle deliveries to selling hundreds of loaves per week

“Through word-of-mouth the business grew, Paul adapted and bought a family size bike to make deliveries – you would often see Paul riding around the streets of York delivering bread with his two sons next to him,” Janet said. “The bakery quickly outgrew the family home and the first shop was born to celebrate the journey.”

"I began baking just seven loaves a week in December 2020, but by October, I was making 300 loaves a week,” Paul previously said of the early days of the bakery.

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They named the business Cosgriff and Sons to reflect this period.

Everything at the Tower Street site is handmade.

The products include sourdough bread, doughnuts, pastries and sandwiches.

“Although [the business] has grown in size, the products continue to be handmade and everything is freshly baked on-site,” Janet explained.