Located at the heart of the Lake District, family craft baker and confectioner Bryson’s prides itself on preserving tea-time traditions, serving regular customers and tourists to the popular region.

Founded in 1947 by John Bryson as a small bakery in Keswick, the company is now run by family descendants John and Lesley Buckley. The original bakery has expanded to include the traditional tearoom, seating around 70, plus a coffee bar for 20, and the firm has established a second site at Cockermouth as well as a thriving wholesale business.

Although Bryson’s, which employs more than 80 staff, has developed a number of signature dishes over the years and makes snacks, rolls and sandwiches as well as freshly baked pies and pasties, John Buckley believes that it is the company’s Lakeland Plum Bread that has put it firmly on the map. “This lightly spiced loaf is extremely popular,” he says.

To achieve quality and consistency, Bryson’s uses Carpigiani equipment, including a Pastochef at the heart of the operation. Supplied in the UK by ServEquip, the Pastochef comes in 15- to 30- and 50-litre sizes and is said to be able to make a long list of sweet and savoury items suitable for professional bakers.

With eight different blend modes, the semi-automated machines are used at Bryson’s to produce confectioners custard, used in the bakery’s vanilla slices, doughnuts and various tarts. Now, the company is considering extending the range of products it makes using the machine – including lemon curd, which it has bought in until now. “Our Pastochef has a robust design,” says Buckley. “ServEquip has been helpful, both in initial training and in showing us some of the machine’s wider potential.”

“Our association with Bryson’s shows how, by working together, we can help with efficient menu development and leverage maximum benefit from their equipment,” says a

spokesperson for ServEquip. “We set out to provide a total solution.”