A BAKERY named the best in the West Midlands is moving from its 'beautiful but hidden away' shop to a new store on a busy road.

Peter Cooks Bread opened its Worcester bakery in the Hopmarket courtyard in February 2023 to instant success but found itself limited by its location.

Peter Doughty-Cook, co-owner of Peter Cooks Bread, said: "We're hidden away from view in the courtyard so it's hard to pull people off of the city centre and into the store.

"There's also been a clampdown on us using flags and signs to advertise on the road."

Now, the bakery is moving into the former Hopmarket Flowers shop on Foregate Street, which became available in October.

Mr Doughty-Cook said: "It's a beautiful shop that puts us right in the city centre but also enables us to remain in the Hopmarket.

"The charity that runs Hopmarket helps a lot of people in the local area and it's something we want to support."

Peter Cooks Bread was announced as one of the best in the country when it picked up an award at the National Bakery Awards in September.

An anonymous customer entered the bakery into the awards and the winners were decided by a panel of industry experts.

The bakery owner could not give an exact date he hoped to open in its new location.

Mr Doughty-Cook said: "We would like to be open in time for the Victorian Fayre or perhaps a few days before so we can get up to speed."

READ MORE: Worcester baker has Britain's best loaf after scooping another big win

READ MORE: This bakery is amongst the best in the UK

READ MORE: Celebrations as Worcester bakery named one of the best in the UK

While the move will give the bakery better visibility with potential customers, the move will also allow them to expand their operations.

"We've learnt a few lessons from opening our store in the courtyard," he said.

"We're now going to start offering hot lunch options like toasties made using our bread, soup and warm pastries.

"We're also going to offer more products that are made locally, like Hundred House Coffee who we are good friends with."

The bakery will continue to open in the courtyard while finishing off the new store.