Bakers & Larners of Holt has held the corner of Market Place since John Baker married Priscilla Custance in 1770 and took on her uncle’s shop. Nick Baker, eighth generation, has been Managing Director since 2024; the ninth generation is active in the business. The building above the Food Hall pre-dates the Baker name above the door by 139 years.
The store runs across two floors on Market Place, with the Home Furnishing Centre two minutes along the High Street. A single shop where you can pick up the Christmas hamper, the bottle for tonight, the linen for the spare room and the cookware for the new Aga.
A shelved hall that runs from the Norfolk producer wall (Sandringham, Norfolk Tea Co., Norfolk Cookie Co., Richard Bainbridge) through the cheese counter and the cellar wines, into pantry, preserves, world food and the daily-bake bread. Built for the Christmas hamper, the Saturday-morning shopping basket and the holiday cottage stock-up in equal measure.
Michael Baker excavated the wine cellars when he rebuilt the Market Place site in the 1980s. From The Cellar is what they hold now: a wine list across English vineyards, classic French, Italian, southern hemisphere and the natural-wine shelf; sparkling, fortified, spirits and craft beer alongside. Wine tasting evenings are run from the same room the bottles are kept in.
Home, Cooking & Dining, Décor & Accessories, Games & Stationery on Market Place. Soft Furnishings, Linens and Furniture in the Home Furnishing Centre on the High Street, two minutes’ walk away. Range cookers, garden, DIY and pet supplies through the Aylsham operation. The kind of department store where one trip covers the Sunday roast, the picnic blanket and the curtain pole.
Two floors of women’s and men’s fashion: country brands the Norfolk customer comes for, plus Italian and British labels found rarely outside London. The beauty hall carries the perfume and skincare lines that match the deli’s standard for what gets sold here. Christmas department fills the back room from October.
Adam Custance opened an iron and colour merchant in Holt in 1732, before the Industrial Revolution arrived in Norfolk. His niece Priscilla married John Baker in 1770, and the shop became a Baker shop. CT Baker Ltd was registered at Companies House in 1900 (number 67886). Michael Baker, seventh generation, led the rebuild of the Market Place site through the 1970s and excavated the wine cellars that still hold the bottles for From The Cellar. Nick Baker, eighth generation, took over as Managing Director in 2024.
Bakers & Larners holds a special place in the town. The independent stores and businesses make Holt a unique shopping experience, unrivalled anywhere in East Anglia.
Great British Life, on Holt and the store
Three windows onto the Food Hall floor on a Saturday in season. None of these are dressed; this is what is on the bench.
When Michael Baker rebuilt the Market Place site in the 1980s, the cellars were excavated below the shop floor to hold the wine. The same cellars hold From The Cellar today: an English-vineyard selection, classical French, Italian, southern hemisphere, the natural-wine shelf, sparkling, fortified, spirits and craft beer. Wine tasting evenings run from the room the bottles are kept in. The cellar is the one part of the store that pre-dates the rebuild, the wines that go in it are picked by a buyer who lives in the county.
Email arrives on a real inbox we read at the shop. If you are after a Christmas hamper built around a Norfolk producer, a wedding-size case from the cellar, or a corporate order for the office, tell us what you are looking for and we will put it together. Phone 01263 712 244 for anything urgent during opening hours.
Wholesale and account orders, the same form.
Hotels, restaurants and holiday cottages with a regular order: ask for the trade team. The cellar will put up a case selection to taste and we will arrange delivery across Norfolk.
The main store sits on the corner of Market Place at the centre of Holt, with the green-fascia shopfront facing into the square. The Home Furnishing Centre is two minutes’ walk along the High Street. Holt is a 25-minute drive from Norwich and a 20-minute drive from Sheringham and Cromer on the north Norfolk coast. Short-stay car parks at Albert Street and the Country Park are three to four minutes from the door.
From the front desk, the phone, and the Christmas hamper enquiries.
The main store is 8-12 Market Place, Holt, NR25 6BW, on the corner of Market Place at the centre of town. The Home Furnishing Centre is a two-minute walk along the High Street. The Aylsham builders’ merchant is a 25-minute drive south on the A140.
Yes. John Baker married Priscilla Custance in 1770 and took over her uncle’s business in Holt. The Baker name has been above the door since. Nick Baker, 8th generation, has been Managing Director since 2024, with the 9th generation active in the business. The firm has been registered as CT Baker Ltd at Companies House since 1900 (no. 67886).
Yes. Christmas hampers are our signature: built in the Food Hall, packed with Norfolk produce, cheese, wine, preserves and chocolates from the counters. The range opens for orders from early autumn, and is available in-store and for nationwide delivery. The Christmas department in the main store opens in October.
Yes. From The Cellar carries wine, sparkling, fortified, spirits and craft beer, served from the cellars under Market Place that Michael Baker excavated in the 1980s. Wine tasting evenings are held in the same room the bottles are kept in. The cellar selection is shoppable online; cellar staff will advise on cases for events or hampers.
Holt has short-stay car parks on Albert Street and the Country Park, both a three to four-minute walk from Market Place. Accessible entry to the main store is via the side door on Albert Street. Lifts run between floors. Ring 01263 712 244 in advance for assistance with hamper collection or larger furniture orders.