Order Now
Call : 01423 503 685
Call : 01423 503 685
John William Forrest Doyle founded the Avenue Bakery in 1943. Originally trained in the North East, he later moved through Northumberland and Scotland where he built a reputation as a skilled Master Baker
John’s wife, Emma Doyle, joined the business in 1944, helping to establish the bakery as a true family enterprise.
At just 16 years old, their son John Doyle joined the bakery, marking the beginning of the second generation. After studying at Thomas Danby College, he also earned the title of Master Baker.
At age 16, Robert J Doyle—one of John’s sons—joined the bakery, becoming the third generation in the family business. Although he never worked alongside his grandfather (who retired at 73), he had already learned many of his baking and confectionery techniques.
Emma Doyle retired at the age of 82. Despite retiring, she continued living next door to the bakery and visited daily until the remarkable age of 99.
On 19 October 1997, the bakery appeared in the TV series Heartbeat (Season 7, Episode 8: “The Friendly Fire”). Bakery staff appeared as extras, and John Doyle even had a speaking line. The bakery later appeared again in another episode of the series.
Robert has been running the business since 2005, steadily expanding what has
become a thriving team: 5 full-time Bakers, a full-time Bakery Assistant, 1
part-time Bakery Assistant, and 10 shop staff.
To move with the times, Robert introduced Business Breakfasts and Lunches
alongside a wholesale offering, all while keeping the traditional baking
styles and recipes passed down through the generations — only tweaked
slightly to make them even more scrumptious.
In August 2020, Robert's youngest son Ben joined the team, bringing with
him professional chef qualifications and outside experience he hopes to
weave into the family business in the future.
All produce is sourced locally, and every item sold in the bakery is made using traditional baking and confectionery methods.
Who knows what the future holds! Robert has two more sons, each of whom
has had a taste of life at the bakery and is keen to play a part in it one day.
In the meantime, Rob and Jan will carry on doing what they do best - running this successful, long-standing family business with the same warmth and craft that has defined Avenue Bakery for over 80 years.