A VISIT to Windermere's Oak Street Bakery is nothing if not an education.

Senior citizens call regularly to broaden the horizons of their tastebuds; youngsters like the surprises of the bakery's kiddy lunch boxes.

For those of us 'in between' who simply like to have good bread on the menu, then every meal becomes a journey of discovery.

Leading the way is Phil Eastwood, whose speciality breads now number nearly 30 - from honey and sunflower seed, to St Elizabeth with rosewater and ginger.

It's all a far cry from the huge plant bakery he used to manage on Merseyside.

But Phil wouldn't be anywhere else.

He loves making bread - real bread.

Phil had always kept his finger on the pulse so he knew that to survive as a craft baker he must diversify into higher value confectionery products and sandwiches to boost business.

This is backed up by industry experts who say that although there will always be a place for the white sliced loaf, the growth of personal disposable incomes and greater consumer awareness of taste and quality mean that the market for premium quality loaves, for continental and ethnic breads, is set to rise.

"There is a great deal of scope for product development in the speciality breads area," says the UK Federation of Bakers.

And Phil, in his way, is at the forefront of this sea change.

"I think people are reacting against mass produced food," reckoned Phil, 'factory' bread being one of the biggest culprits.

To taste the difference of 'real' bread, let Phil whet your appetite with Bavarian Rye, Cappdocia, Focaccia with sun-dried tomatoes and olives, Mushroom and garlic bread, Pugliese, Brooklyn Bagels and St Elizabeth bread (famed for feeding the poor and suffering for her trouble, St Elizabeth bread is made to a recipe created by Franciscan monks in her honour - a moreish enriched dough with rose water and a hint of ginger).

And last, but most certainly not least, the ultimate luxury - Phil's Belgian Chocolate Bread, delicious with butter, with bananas, or both!