A Northamptonshire bakery established more than 300 years ago has been acquired by a local couple.

KC Bakery, which supplies more than 40 local customers across the hospitality, education and retail sectors, was put up for sale when the owners decided to retire after running the business for 35 years.

Housed in a Grade Two-listed building, the £300,000-a-year turnover operation has been a part of the Kings Cliffe village community since 1711.

Local residents Tom Priestley and his wife Jo have acquired the business in a deal supported by £450,000-worth of funding from NatWest.

Priestley will leave his job as a project leader for a food manufacturer to run the business and said he hoped to combine the technical expertise he developed in his previous role with the traditional baking methods for which KC Bakery is known.

He will spend six months working alongside former owners Oliver and Karen O’Sullivan as part of the handover process, ensuring these traditions are upheld.

“I often spoke with Jo about embarking on a career change and becoming my own boss, but I was never sure what I wanted to do,” said Priestley.

“When I saw KC Bakery for sale and knowing how much the business is a part of the local community, I knew I had to go for it. With the support of Jo and the finance and advice from NatWest, I’m now about to start a new and exciting chapter in my professional life.”

KC Bakery employs eight members of staff, which will increase to nine with the recruitment of a bakery assistant.

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