Morningside’s Bakery Andante has secured a deal to supply a further four branches of Waitrose in Scotland with artisan bread.

The bakery is already stocked in the two Edinburgh branches of Waitrose, where it has been since 2015. Now, a selection of bakery owner Jon Wood’s handmade sourdoughs and New York deli-style bread will also be on sale at the Byres Road, Milngavie, Stirling and Newton Mearns stores from mid-April.

Bakery Andante first opened in Morningside, Edinburgh in 2010, and has recently expanded with the opening of new premises in Leith.

Wood said: “Initially we weren’t interested in supplying supermarkets. However, when we got the call from Waitrose we decided it was definitely worth a try, as it suits our brand perfectly – and they liked our homemade, high-quality artisan product.

“We’ve hired some extra staff and have taken on some fantastic apprentices, so it’s an exciting time for us at Andante.”

Tracey Marshall, buyer for local and regional at Waitrose, added: “Demand for artisan bread is growing, with sales enjoying a 267% increase year on year. With the quality and taste of Jon’s bread it’s easy to understand why.

“You can tell time has gone into it, the flavours are exceptional. It has been incredibly popular with our Edinburgh shoppers and we have no doubt it will be successful elsewhere too.”

Waitrose said it was continuing to seek out new producers and suppliers across Scotland, with more than 400 Scottish lines now available.