About Us

Gold outline of a pointing hand with a cuffed sleeve

The story behind Cosgriff and Sons

Before opening the bakery, I worked as a chef for 20 years, mainly in Chef Hat awarded restaurants in Australia and Michelin-starred places in the UK.

A man with tattoos preparing sourdough bread at home kitchen counter, surrounded by bowls of dough, toppings, and kitchen utensils, under a hanging light. The photo has a Polaroid style with the handwritten caption "Making sourdough from home."
A simple illustration of a flag with a rectangular shape and a pole on the left side.

It all started in 2020

Our son was born prematurely and was very unwell, which meant we were in and out of the hospital.

Our son was born prematurely and was very unwell, which meant we were in and out of the hospital.

Then, in a freak accident, I broke my hip, and suddenly, I was the one in the hospital.

Then, in a freak accident, I broke my hip, and suddenly, I was the one in the hospital.

With a permanently damaged hip and lots of time spent in hospitals, I knew I couldn’t go back to hectic restaurant kitchens.

With a permanently damaged hip and lots of time spent in hospitals, I knew I couldn’t go back to hectic restaurant kitchens.

During lockdown #2, I started baking sourdough for friends.

During lockdown #2, I started baking sourdough for friends.

Friends told friends...

Friends told friends...

Soon, I started getting messages asking for sourdough.

Soon, I started getting messages asking for sourdough.

I bought a trolley and began delivering sourdough to people’s doorsteps.

I bought a trolley and began delivering sourdough to people’s doorsteps.

It got so busy, I quickly swapped the trolley for a family bike.

It got so busy, I quickly swapped the trolley for a family bike.

Two photographs, one of a smiling toddler in a stroller with day of the week labels, and the other of a boy looking at dough in baking pans.

You would often spot me and the boys cycling around York, delivering fresh sourdough loaves.

Simple illustration of a paper airplane outlined in gold against a black background.
Close-up of baking loaves.

To honor this time, I named the Business Cosgriff and Sons.

Multiple rising dough balls in flour-dusted proofing baskets, with more dough on a countertop in the background, captioned 'Orders keep rolling in...'

Our family kitchen just couldn’t keep up with demand.

In November 2021, we opened C&S Sourdough on Fishergate.

Thanks to the amazing people of York, we soon needed a bigger premises.

In March 2023, we moved to Tower Street, right opposite Clifford’s Tower.

Simple line drawing of a steaming coffee mug in gold color.
A man standing in the doorway of a sourdough bakery called C&S Sourdough, with a large window displaying baked goods inside. The storefront is painted dark purple, with a wooden bench outside. The photo is styled like a Polaroid with the caption "The First Shop" at the bottom.
Several loaves of bread baking in an oven with warm, golden light illuminating them
People exiting a bakery named Cosgriff & Sons, which has a yellow signboard, with large glass windows showcasing baked goods inside. The scene appears lively with customers and staff.

And now…

Today, Cosgriff and Sons is a thriving microbakery crafting sourdough bread, doughnuts, pastries, sausage rolls, and sandwiches all handmade and freshly baked on-site every day.

The bakery might be bigger now, but it’s still family-led, community-rooted, and completely devoted to quality.

Two people sitting at a wooden table in a cafe, looking out the window at a castle on a grassy hill.
Three people standing outside a bakery named Cosgriff & Sons on a street called Tower Street. The bakery has a yellow facade with large windows. The person on the left has curly hair and tattoos, wearing an apron. The person in the middle is smiling, with arms crossed, wearing an apron. The person on the right has a beard and tattoos, with a checkered towel over one shoulder. Inside, there is a sign that says "Sourdough Baker".

Shout-outs

These are the businesses we are lucky enough to work with:

Cotswolds Flour 

Edinburgh Butter 

Acorn Dairy 

M&K Butchers 

Dales Chef Choice

Anna Melta

Stephanie Oglesby

James Drury 

Mollie-Rose Photography 

Nic Shuttleworth 

Indie York 

Lazenby-Brown 

York Independent Life

As seen in…

Green background with the word "olive" written in white lowercase letters
The logo of The Guardian newspaper in blue text.
BBC Good Food logo with purple and pink accents
🚨 Here you go, legends, our brand new sandwich menu ⚡ All freshly made using local ingredients and stacked inside @cs_sourdough and served with a solid pile of crisps. What’s on? • Ox cheek from the heroes at @mandkbutchers • Our
🚨 We’re back tomorrow!! 🚨 After a big clean-up and a lot of hard work, we’re so excited to reopen TOMORROW from 7am. We can’t thank you enough for the kind messages, comments and support. It’s in moments like these that w
⛓️‍💥 We were broken into on Sunday night. Thankfully, only a small amount of cash was taken, but the mess and damage left behind was a tough sight to walk into on Monday. We think it happened around 10pm, with the doors left wide open until we
🚨 Here you go champions the final installment of our journey so far. I never planned to break it up like this, but I've loved looking back on the highs and lows. We're getting busier each week and thats because of you. Thank you so much! ⚡ And

FOLLOW US…