A Cornish-inspired bakery has opened its doors for the first time today at a brand-new Kent location.

Filling the gap left by Crew Clothing in The Parade, Canterbury, Cornish Bakery celebrated inside its 57th store country-wide.

The chain has set up shop just 200 metres away from bakery titans Greggs, and hopes to make inroads with its ‘artisan’ food.

Boasting a range of award-winning pasties and a ‘Pasties by Post’ service, by which customers can have an array of baked goods delivered to their door, its prices are about twice as much as its high street rival.

Matt Chapman, head of operations for the long-running bakery, told KentOnline he was delighted to see the bakery take the next step – calling bakeries “the new coffee shop”.

“Everything we do and have is Cornish from the lampshades and paintings on the walls to the amazing coffee and pastries which we’re famous for in other parts of the country,” he began.

“Canterbury is a fantastic market, it has great history and heritage and our store is in a prime location in the cathedral city.

“We think a bakery is the new coffee shop, we want to redefine what a bakery is and what it can be.

“There’s no reason why we can’t elevate it too. The sector is somewhat stagnant right now but we feel we offer a really inviting environment to enjoy being in whilst having a cup of coffee and a bite to eat.

“Our competition is wide, it’s not just national chains like Greggs but also local businesses we measure ourselves against to see what we can improve on and what we’re doing well.”

Having first opened for business in the 1990s, public reaction to the eatery has been positive so far with a steady stream of customers complimenting the goods on offer.

The staff were all smiles too, with the 17 local employees taken on by the Cornwall-based firm enjoying the fruits of their labour.

Founder of the Cornish Bakery business Steve Grocutt said: “We are excited to be occupying this beautiful and historic Grade I listed building for our new Canterbury bakery.

“When we first saw it, we felt immediately in love with the character and prime location and worked hard to secure the property.

“We hope locals and visitors will appreciate what we have done with the interior and, of course, enjoy the quality of our products and the passion and hospitality of our Cornish Bakery team.”

Whilst formerly home to a clothing company, most residents will remember the new bakery once playing host to Boots, before the chemist departed in 2007.

Part of an 18th-century townhouse, areas of the original building date back to the 15th century and records show that the cellar was first built as part of a medieval merchant’s house in the 13th century.