BAKER Bell s of Lazonby is set to supply Costa Coffee with 20m items over the festive period.

They include a yule loaf, all-butter pastry mince tart, Florentine-topped loaf cake and a gluten-free, vegan Christmas cake.

Bell's has been working with Costa for nearly seven years, providing products for its 1,800 UK outlets and some across Europe and the Middle East.

It supplies more than 330,000 products a week to what is Britain’s biggest coffee shop chain.

Carolyn Nicol, c ommercial and i nnovation m anager at Bells, said: “ W orking with Costa has really helped our business grow.

“We’ve gained the confidence to invest in new people and processes and now have a bakery apprenticeship scheme to empower young employees and make sure we keep bringing baked goods to the nation.”

Costa’s Christmas menu is available until January 4.

Jennifer Beaumont, d essert p roduct d evelopment manager for the Whitbread-owned chain , said : “ W e are proud to support British businesses, and we’re excited to be able to offer Bells of Lazonby baked goods in our stores.

“ The crumbly pastry, rich icing and moreish cakes complement our handcrafted coffees perfectly and are always a winner with customers.

“ Their festive range is no exception. We look forward to continuing our partnership and seeing what other tasty treats we can create with them in the future.”

Bells celebrated its 70 th anniversary this year. The company employs about 250 people at its bakeries in Lazonby and has annual sales of £18m.