Real Life: Bakers born and bread

It all began in 1863 in the small Staffordshire village of Wheaton Aston. Hannah Swift, the great-great-great aunt of Robert Swift, opened a small business supplying bread to locals. Little could she have imagined that six generations and 150 years later her enterprise would continue to prosper.

Swifts' Bakery has been a staple of Staffordshire, Shropshire and Black Country life since the mid-19th century. It has survived two world wars, economic depression, a technological revolution and, of course, the introduction of the sliced white loaf. In fact, not only has Hannah's business made it to the 21st century, it has done so in style.

Today the business is in the hands of Robert and John, the family's sixth generation, and their own father, Richard. It is based at Clee Hill and Ludlow, with additional shops in Craven Arms and Tenbury Wells. The Swift family are regular visitors to food festivals and events around the UK, including many in Shropshire and the West Midlands.

Back in 1863, Abraham Lincoln was signing a deal to abolish slavery, the Football Association was forming in London, the International Red Cross was being inaugurated in Geneva and the Salon des Refuses, in Paris, was promoting such avant-garde artists as Édouard Manet.

Much has changed. However, the 21st century Swifts' Bakery runs on parallel lines to the 19th century version. Robert rises early each day to prepare the day's bake, just as Hannah did.

His breads are made with the same five basic ingredients: flour, water, salt, yeast and love. The family is justifiably proud of its heritage. Its passion for bread is reflected in the high quality of each individually made loaf.

Hannah was a pioneer and soon introduced her daughter, Harriet, to the business. Harriet brought a third generation into Swifts', in the form of her nephew Tom, who took over the bakery at the age of 19, having served apprenticeships in West Bromwich and Stafford.

Tom produced seven children, one of whom was Charles, a fourth-generation baker. He was a fascinating character who continued the baking tradition with his older brother, Walter.

Charles worked in the bakery with Tom before being called up to serve in the Second World War from 1941 to 1945. He was separated from his beloved wife, Mary, but continued to serve in field bakeries during the war, based in Mombasa, east Africa.

When he was demobbed, the partnership with Walter was dissolved. Another brother, also named Tom, had a bakery at Penn, in Wolverhampton, and Charles and Mary took that lease.

Their second child, Richard, kept the family tradition going.

Charles was ambitious and founded a new business at Gnosall, in Staffordshire. He worked hard with Mary to build the business and they became a popular couple.

Charles wrote about his experiences in a small booklet, My Wartime Experiences, which reflected on his life from 1941 onwards. He recalled: "There were no freezers in those days, so regular deliveries were essential. At Christmas time the village people would bring their turkeys and geese to me on Christmas Day so that they could be cooked in the bakehouse ovens – they were always cooked to perfection."

Charles was passionate about good food and grew his vegetables, as well as making pork pies, cakes and more. His son, Richard, worked hard to build upon his parents' work. Richard had been born in Gnosall, and after serving an apprenticeship and attending Birmingham College of Food and Technology, he became bakery manager.

He says: "My dad employed three chaps and I started to work there properly during the school holidays. I'd work in the bakery and then go out on the rounds with the delivery drivers."

Richard's diploma in bread, flour and confectionery gave him the knowledge he needed to make a start, and he spent 10 years with his father at Gnosall before striking out. He moved to Clee Hill, Shropshire, and built a new business from scratch. "That's always been the story in our family. My father left his dad to set up by himself. I left my father and set up by myself. My two sons have also come up with new ideas so that they can make their own mark."

Richard was 29 when he started baking at Clee Hill. "It was owned by two brothers but it was very run down. It had burned down in 1935 and been rebuilt."

Richard and his wife Margaret went about their task with gusto and their business grew. He introduced his sons, Robert and John, to baking. Like his forebears, Robert has brought new innovations. He works in a new bakery in Ludlow's Corve Street and has developed a new company called Bread2Bake along with his wife Lucinda.

It provides baking masterclasses and services an ever-growing number of farmers' markets, food festivals and other shows with demonstrations.

Robert says: "Our bread goes further and further each year, but we're proud of our roots. We work closely with the local community and get involved in talks and demonstrations for local primary and secondary schools, as well as other clubs and societies. We've involved in a project called Skill Builders, which passes on traditional skills to a new generation. This is a volunteer-run organisation that works with local schools to connect youngsters to artisan occupations.

"Hopefully, we're helping the next generation of bakers so that there'll still be high street bakers in another 150 years."

The family's history is celebrated in Robert's first book, Born and Bread, which also features a selection of recipes – from age-old classics such as the plain white tin to noveau offerings like stromboli, and from delicious jammy doughnuts to corn bread. The book celebrates the family's achievements of the past 150 years.

Robert Swift will launch Born and Bread at Waterstones, Shrewsbury, on December 7. He'll sign books from noon until 1pm. The title is also available from Swift's shops and online from www.amazon.co.uk

Andy Richardson