Beth Browning’s Bakery
Traditional Baking at its Best
Beth Browning’s Bakery is a family business with a rich heritage. Since taking over the Kilwinning bakery and shop 25 years ago, Beth has been joined by her daughter Emily, son Blair, and husband Barrie. Together they have built the business and stayed true to the values of her father William, honouring the legacy of a man who worked until he was 80 passing his skills to the next two generations.
Keen to make the business a family affair, Beth brought Emily on board as a Saturday girl when she was just 14, teaching her front of house skills, administration, banking and customer service before she joined full-time at the age of 18. Blair preferred the craft of baking and started as a Friday night shift worker at the bakery at the age of 15. He trained under the careful eye of the bakery management and his grandfather, William, who taught him the skills needed to ensure that much-loved family recipes continued to line the shelves long after William had hung up his apron.
Growing the family business has not been without its challenges. Thankfully, as a producer of fresh products, the bakery was allowed to stay open during the pandemic. With fresh pies, breads and cakes on offer, locals queued down the street daily to support the local bakery snapping up freshly baked goods faster than they could be produced – it was a time which firmly established them in the local community and beyond.
Between February 2020 and May 2021, the family decided to expand further by opening two additional shops. Kilmaurs was an opportunity which came about when a wholesale customer decided to move on and suggested to Barrie that the family take over – it was the right move at the right time allowing expansion into another local community. One week later they opened another shop in Bellfield, Kilmarnock, transforming an old chemist into a bustling bakery as Beth & Barrie’s vision continued to grow.
Since then, in an addition to the new shops, the bakery has expanded its wholesale offerings – a side of the business established by Blair who became the face of the bakery as he met with countless traders across North and East Ayrshire. Chances are, if you’ve enjoyed a hot roll or picked up some tattie scones from your local butcher shop in these areas, they’re from Beth Browning’s Bakery.
When it comes to best sellers the tattie scones win hands down, with the demand often exceeding supply – each one is handmade by Blair and Blair alone. Other firm favourites include empire biscuits, pineapple tarts, caramel cups (those of a certain vintage enjoy the nostalgia associated with these) millionaire’s shortbread and their award-winning apple pie. One of the many things that makes the bakery so successful is a commitment to these time-honoured classics – no trends, no fads just high-quality traditional cakes and bakes which have been loved for generations.
And it’s not just the cakes which deserve a moment in the spotlight. In their years entering the World Scotch Pie Championships they’ve won awards for their scotch pies, apple pies and Cajun macaroni pies to name a few. It’s high praise indeed for Beth and her family.
William may have passed away last year, but his reputation for making the best tablet in town lives on. It’s safe to say that he has left the recipe for his success in good flour-dusted hands as Beth and her family continue to delight customers with baking which comes from the heart.
128 Main Street, Kilwinning, KA13 6AA (Tel: 01294 552342)
36 Main Street, Kilmaurs, KA3 2SF
(Tel: 01563 527660)
89 Whatriggs Road, KA1 3RB
(Tel: 01563 520550)
E: bethbrowningsbakery91@hotmail.com
