In the heart of the Black Country, a traditional bakery is causing a stir, with customers queuing from the early hours for its signature '24 carat burnt top cob' and sausage rolls that undercut high street giant Greggs.
From Police Despatcher to Baking Phenomenon
Bake My Day was founded in Great Bridge, Tipton, in 2022 by former police despatcher Nathan Hadley, 33. After selling a jacket potato shop in Oldbury, he renovated the former Sutton Bakery premises with a clear vision: to sell fresh, fairly priced goods. His mother, ex-Labour councillor Joanne Hadley, 63, lent her business expertise before stepping back due to a non-Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis.
Nathan, who has three children with his confectioner partner Emily Payton, listened to what locals wanted. "Local customers wanted freshly baked bread, old school cakes, burned cobs," he said. The introduction of a deli counter and a strict 'oven to counter' philosophy became key. Meat for their popular sandwiches is sourced from a farm in Leicester.
The 3am Start Behind the Scenes
Nathan and his team of five begin their day at 3am, with queues often forming by 8am for the 9am opening. They aim to sell out by their 3pm closing, with any leftover bread going to feed local horses. The scale of their operation is impressive: around 2,000 small cobs, 400 large cobs, and 14 large tins of bread are baked daily at the Tipton shop alone.
Their bestseller is the sausage roll, priced at just £1 for a six-inch version, with an eight-inch option also available. They sell roughly 120 a day. "The outer layer crust is softer, the meat is tastier because the sausage is flavoured and prepped and piped by hand," Nathan explained.
However, the undisputed star is the cob. The bakery prides itself on being 'scratch bakers', with everything made by hand. The secret, Nathan reveals, is in the proof and the precise bake. "There's a difference between being absolutely burned and 24 carat golden burnt," he said, noting that a variation of just a few grams in weight can alter the final product. Any cob not perfectly moulded is discarded.
Expanding the Black Country Empire
The shop was an instant hit, leading to a second branch opening in Black Heath in March 2025 due to customer demand. Now, a third shop is set to launch in Oldbury in mid-February, creating nearly 20 jobs in total across the business. "The reaction has been phenomenal," Nathan said. "They didn't want another barbers, or nail shop and are so excited that a fresh and traditional bakery is coming to the Oldbury High Street."
Social media fans are enthusiastically urging the bakery to expand further across the region. Customer testimonials speak volumes. Karen Hill from Wednesbury buys 40-100 cobs at a time for a club, praising their freshness and price. Regular Maxine Ebanks from West Bromwich loves the "family vibe," while Richard Hale highlights the "proper burnt cobs" and good value, saying he'd "rather come here."
Alongside the savoury staples, Bake My Day's giant chocolate eclairs, doughnuts, and lemon iced buns—often compared favourably to the old Firkins bakery—are also flying off the shelves, proving that traditional baking, done with care and passion, is a recipe for remarkable success.
