If there is one positive to come out of one of the most harrowing periods the majority of people have lived through in this country, it is the spirit of the community and one bakery has fully embraced that.

Lovingly Artisan, based at Plumgarths on the outskirts of Kendal, recently celebrated their tenth birthday - no mean feat in these uncertain times - and the last four months have been unlike anything they previously experienced.

The business is known for being a specialist in baking sourdough bread and during the lockdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic they went out of their way to help out those that were most vulnerable.

Not only did they continue to make a variety of speciality breads, but they also hand delivered loaves to those that were self-isolating at no extra cost, along with other essential items to people who were forced to self-isolate.

Catherine Connor, who runs the marketing side of the business for her husband, and Lovingly Artisan owner, Aidan Monks said: “We have been taking orders, and we still are because people are still feeling a little bit cautious about going out or continuing to isolate because they’re feeling a bit unsure of their own health requirements.

“We’ve been doing a whole variety of different things that we think best suits Artisan’s customers.”

While sending out loaves across the Lake District and Manchester, Lovingly Artisan has found a great way of replacing the baking workshops with members of the public that they weren’t able to put on due to COVID-19.

In their place, a online baking club was set up on their Facebook page in which Mr Monks provided free tutorials and conducted Q&A sessions, with the demand leading the page’s following to swell from 257 to 2,427 in a matter of months.

They have since been able to open up their shop again while continuing their delivery service and it appears as though the last few months has raised awareness of their brand amongst locals.

Catherine Connor said: “The thing that we’ve noticed is that a lot of people were a bit cautious about going to the supermarket and were being very careful about what they did, so they came to us at Plumgarths for the very first time.

“They’d never been to the bakery before and never been to Plumgarths butchers and it’s like people have discovered us even though they’ve always lived around here.

“We’ve now become part of their weekend routine or part of their new daily shopping habits.”