Hopmarket's 'Peter Cooks Bread' opened by This Morning's Marcus Bean

'Peter Cooks Bread' was officially opened by TV chef Marcus Bean at 3 The Hopmarket, Worcester, today with customers queueing up to sample - and buy - his freshly baked bread and pastries.

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Self-taught chef Mr Bean, whose passion for cooking drove him to win Iron Chef Uk in 2010, has been a regular chef on ITV’s “This Morning” cooking for Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield other presenters on the show and said he was only too happy to come to Worcester from Shrewsbury to support the business.

The shop will be open from 8.30am to 5.30pm on Monday to Saturday with further improvements to the interior getting underway in the New Year.

Shoppers discovered the shop when it opened during the Victorian Christmas Fayre but now Mr Cook hopes to raise the profile another notch with the official opening this morning. 

Crowds were drawn in by a newly restored and striking mustard yellow Citroën 2CV van parked in the courtyard and emblazoned with the logo - and the chance to taste free samples of some of the breads and pastries.

CAMPAIGN: Real Bread is at the core of Peter Cooks Bread at 3 The Hopmarket (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)

Mr Cook also supplies bread for The Beefy Boys, the popular burger business which has a Boutique in The Old Market in Hereford and has drawn in customers from far and wide whenever their van has come to Worcestershire.

Mr Bean said: "It's worth coming all the way from Shropshire in the freezing cold just to sample the bread and show my support for a great local business."

Mr Bean, who said he was a keen supporter of local producers and artisan businesses in Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Shropshire.

He described the cruffins and pastries and sourdough-style bread made by Peter Cooks Bread as 'exceptional' and the location for the shop as 'lovely'.

He also praised the health benefits and sustainability of the way Mr Cook made his bread with just four key ingredients - flour, yeast, water and salt.

BREAD: Some of the items on sale at Peter Cooks Bread (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)

The grand opening was the icing on the cake for Mr Cook after Peter Cooks Bread was named as Slow Food UK Bakery of the Year for the third year running on the day of the official opening.

Peter Cook said he had been looking to find a shop for the last two years to get a foothold in retail, describing the Hopmarket as 'lovely architecturally' as the site for a shop.

He said: "The bread is all Real Bread - it doesn't have any additives. There are no shortcuts. It is made from scratch. I'm an ambassador for the Real Bread Campaign which is a bit like what CAMRA was for real ale.

"There's a Real Bread Revolution going on all around the country. It's great to bring that revolution to Worcester. Once you have tried Real Bread you don't go back again."

Mr Cook, originally from Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, explained that the bread had a longer fermentation which created a better, fuller flavour and also this made it easier to digest. 

Mr Cook, who attended catering college in Devon and has been involved in restaurant management in London, has known Mr Bean for the last 10 years through the food festival at Ludlow.