A family bakery is celebrating 40 years of providing bread and cakes.

The Bakery in Beeches Avenue, Carshalton, was opened by Michael Stenning, 67, and his wife Linda, 63, on July 21, 1972.

In 40 years they have baked everything from Star Wars cakes to ones with balloons inside.

Mr Stenning is the third generation of bakers in his family – his father was a master baker in Brixton and his grandfather was a master baker in North London.

Mr Stenning said: "I have four sons – they all work in the bakery.

"When we started there was a bakery on each corner but there are not many now – the green grocers and butchers have all gone.

"We are very lucky to have the support of neighbours and the community.

"We do our bread the same way we did when we started 40 years ago.

"It is a very traditional family thing.

"We would like to thank all of our customers for all their support – we do appreciate their loyalty."

The business has seen everything from the three day week to bread subsidies and the appearance of in store bakeries in supermarkets.

The couples four sons Lee, Dean, Paul and Adam all work in the bakery too They work nearly seven days a week and in the mornings they get up at 4.30am – working 12 hours a day.

Mr Stenning said: "If we didn’t – we wouldn’t get all the bread through.

"We always have hot bread on the shelves."

Mr Stennings said that traditional bakeries are a dying breed and when he began there were at least 30,000 but now he said they would be lucky if there were 3,000 left.

The Bakery creates traditional goodies such as London Cheesecake and Eccles cakes but they have also moved with the times by incorporating everything from Mr Whippy ice creams to filled sandwiches and frappuccinos.