Orange Bakery is an artisanal bakery and baked goods shop located in Watlington, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom. It was established by the father-and-daughter duo Kitty Tait and Alex (Al) Tait, with the business originating in 2019 when Kitty was 15 years old and struggling with mental health issues.
Origins
The bakery's story began when Kitty, who was battling chronic anxiety and depression and had stopped attending school, watched her father bake a loaf of bread and developed an interest in baking. What began as a private pastime and a form of self-care developed into a subscription service and a weekly pop-up shop. In 2018, the Taits launched a crowdfunding campaign (via Kickstarter) to finance a permanent location, and they subsequently opened a full-time bakery store in Watlington High Street in May 2019.
Growth and publications
The Taits published a book, Breadsong: How Baking Changed Our Lives (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2022), based on their experiences, which also contains baking recipes. The bakery received national and international media coverage, including reports from BBC News, The Guardian, and The New York Times, and gained a large following (with hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram).
Closure and transition
In 2023, the Taits decided not to renew the lease on their Watlington High Street shop, which closed on June 23, 2023. At that time, they expressed intentions to pursue other projects, including Kitty's "Breaducation" teaching initiative and converting the bakery into a community-run enterprise. They continued to operate pop-up stalls on the High Street on Fridays and Saturdays.
According to the Henley Standard (February 2026), the community baking group operated out of a former scout hall behind the Watlington Club, but the group decided not to renew that lease, and The Orange Bakery ceased trading in December 2025. Kitty Tait, then 21, had moved to London and was seeking to open a new bakery there, while Alex Tait began to resume more of his teaching work.
Background
The bakery is sometimes associated in name with unrelated businesses, including Orange Bakery, Inc., a California-based bakery and pastry supplier headquartered in Irvine, California. The Watlington establishment is distinct from this entity.
