What is Real Bread Week?
What is Real Bread Week?
Real Bread Week runs from 15th to 23rd February and is an international celebration of real bread and the skilled bakers who create it. Launched by the Real Bread Campaign, the week is dedicated to raising awareness of bread made without processing aids or additives—just simple, natural ingredients.
Bread is an everyday staple, whether it’s toast slathered with butter and jam in the morning or a lunchtime sandwich filled with your favourite ingredients. But Real Bread Week isn’t about just any loaf—it’s about supporting traditional artisan baking and choosing bread that’s better for you, your community, and the planet.
What is Real Bread?
"Real Bread" refers to bread made without artificial additives, preservatives, or processing aids—just flour, water, salt, and natural leavening. Unlike mass-produced supermarket loaves, real bread is:
Better for your health
No hidden additives, just natural ingredients.
Better tasting
Slowly fermented and handcrafted for a richer flavour.
Better for the community
Supports local, independent bakeries instead of industrial bread production.
Better for the environment
Many artisan bakeries use locally sourced, sustainable ingredients.
Meet Our Real Bakers
At Cobbs Farm Shops, we’re passionate about supporting traditional baking and stocking real bread from some of the best independent bakeries. Meet our fantastic bakers:
hobbs house bakery
A family-run bakery with five generations of baking expertise, now passing their skills to the sixth generation! Their belief? Handmade bread should be available to everyone. *
Available daily at Cobbs Englefield, Hungerford & Winchester.
hoxton bakehouse
Founded in Hampshire in 2014, Hoxton Bakehouse set out to make better bread accessible to more people. Their commitment to an honest, high-quality loaf starts with their very own sourdough culture.
Available every Saturday at Cobbs Englefield, Hungerford & Winchester.
Hethertons Bakery
A traditional, family-run craft bakery in Newbury, passionate about high-quality, handmade loaves using locally grown and milled flour and other local ingredients.
Available daily at Cobbs Englefield.
La Parisienne
With French roots, this family bakery produces an authentic range of sourdough bread, pastries, and savouries using locally milled flour and other regional ingredients.
Available daily at Cobbs Stratford.
how You Can Get Involved
Real Bread Week is all about celebrating real, traditional bread—and there are plenty of ways to take part!
Buy from local bakeries
Support independent bakers by choosing real, handcrafted loaves.
Try baking your own
Have a go at making simple, additive-free bread at home. We highly recommend the Hobbs House Sourdough Starter - a trusted favourite, even used by Dan, our Ops Director, as seen in the photo here.
Share your real bread Post your bakes or bakery finds using #RealBreadWeek on social media!
Support Our Real Bakers!
By choosing real bread, you're not just treating yourself to better-tasting, healthier loaves—you're also supporting small businesses, local farmers, and traditional baking methods.
Pop into Cobbs Farm Shops this week and pick up a REAL loaf to celebrate Real Bread Week!
* To make it even easier to enjoy real bread, we’ve included some of Hobbs House Bakery’s most popular loaves in our New Year Lower Price campaign:
Everyday Harvester Sliced
Everyday White Sliced
Sliced Pain De Campagne
Now available at a reduced price!