A Ballymena institution - Leith’s Home Bakery set to celebrate 60th anniversary in business

It’s hard to walk past Leith’s bakery without the delicious smell enticing you in and when inside, you know that you’re in for a tasty treat.

The famous bakery still prides itself on serving the finest in home baked bread, buns and pastries alongside other traditional favourites.

Famous for their delicious soda bread, oven wheaten and tasty potato bread, over the past 60 years Leith’s has become a Ballymena institution.

Local man, George Leith opened the bakery back in 1952 in Bridge street, before moving to larger premises on Mill Street, where they still are today.

Despite being a grocer at the time, George’s interest in baking led him to take over the Bridge Street store. George said: “I had a van delivering fresh bread around the area and this was a great help when I opened the bakery. The customers I had got to know then came into the bakery and it was a real boost at the start.”

Leith’s is a real family business with lots of members of George’s family playing some sort of role in the bakery, none more so than George’s son Oral who has taken over the reigns from his father.

George, now 91, told the Times that when working together, father and son made a great team. He said: “I was the sales man and he was the baker, I got him trained in baking and he won lots of cups and awards. My speciality was always selling but we made a good team.

“We always believed that the best way was to bake the best bread and let it do the talking.”

When baking, Oral always makes sure everything is perfect and it is this attention to detail that gave Leith’s a reputation of serving only the best baked products.

During the past sixty years, George and his staff got to know his customers and he said that this made the job very enjoyable.

George added: “There was always a great atmosphere in the shop, we were always very busy but you get to know people and everybody was always joking.

“Customers made themselves at home and that’s why they keep coming back. It was great getting to know them over the years, they have always been very good to us.

“I would like to thank all the customers over the years for their continued support and we look forward to welcoming them back in the future.”

The friendly atmosphere continues to this day whilst serving traditional baked favourites and delicious pasties that has made Leith’s Home Bakery a house hold name in Ballymena.