A TRADITIONAL west country baker has opened a new shop in Winchester

Warrens Bakery, the oldest bakery in Cornwall, offering hand made baked goods, fresh baked bread, and traditional Cornish pasties, opened it's latest branch on Jewry Street with a ribbon cutting ceremony on September 26.

The first 50 customers to pay with the new Jane Austen £10 note were given a free cupcake with their purchase.

The latest shop in Winchester is the third to open in Hampshire in as many months, with branches in Eastleigh and Southampton opening back in July.

More shops are planned to open in Shirley, Gosport, Waterlooville and Portsmouth by the end of the year, the first step in mayor expansion for the brand which is hoping to open another 300 shops nationwide in the the next five years.

Entrepreneur Farhat Abbas who has partnered with Warrens to bring the bakeries to the region said: "I'm very excited to be in Winchester and find this location. I love the synergy between the brand and the town. When they see the traditional products in the traditional architecture it builds the whole experience. "I love Winchester and have a flat here, so it will be great to be able to come down and get a cup of coffee in the morning.

When asked why he decided to partner with Warrens, Mr Abbas he said: "British customers have always been great at embracing food from different cultures but not always what's great about British food. The thing about pasties though is that we don't need to introduce the product to the consumer, everyone knows what a pasty is. I went to Cornwall, visited the team and I liked what they do."

Chairman of Warrens Bakery, Mark Sullivan said: “We are immensely proud of all the team have achieved this year, and are delighted that we will be able to share our award-winning sweet and savoury bakes with even more customers in Winchester."