- Founded in 2008, Bespoke Kitchen Foods (BKF) is a leading provider of innovative vegetarian and vegan products for the pub and casual dining market;
- Based in Coalville, Leicestershire, BKF supplies premium products to the UK’s leading branded pub and restaurant chains and food wholesalers;
- The firm is backed by LDC, a leading private equity investor which is part of Lloyds Banking Group;
- The UK’s vegan and vegetarian food market is growing at over 11% and is expected to reach c. £1 billion in size by 2033[1].
London, 3 September, 2025: OakNorth, the digital bank for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs, has provided a bespoke funding package to Bespoke Kitchen Foods, a fast-growing UK vegetarian and vegan food manufacturer, to support its future organic and acquisitive growth strategy.
Founded in 2008, BKF is a leading provider of innovative vegetarian and vegan products for the pub and casual dining market. Based in Coalville, Leicestershire, the firm supplies premium products to the UK’s leading branded pub and restaurant chains and food wholesalers supplying the foodservice channels. Its products are developed specifically to meet customer requirements and include sweet and savoury baked and formed products.
BKF has grown rapidly, with revenue increasing 18% on average over the last three years. In January 2025, it opened a new production facility near its headquarters to further increase its manufacturing capacity, raising its headcount to over 100. The firm is backed by LDC, the leading private equity investor which is part of Lloyds Banking Group.
Sam Tidball, CEO of Bespoke Kitchen Foods, commented on the transaction: “We are delighted to be partnering with OakNorth at such a pivotal stage for Bespoke Kitchen Foods. As we continue to grow and diversify our customer base, their tailored funding solution gives us the confidence and flexibility to accelerate our plans. OakNorth’s team has shown a clear understanding of our business model, our long-standing partnerships with operators like Mitchells & Butlers, and our ambition to broaden both our product range and client portfolio. With this support, and alongside the backing of LDC, we are well positioned to build on our strong foundations, expand into new markets, and continue delivering high-quality, innovative products for our customers across the UK foodservice sector.”
Ian Fairclough Director of Debt Finance at OakNorth, added: “We’re proud to support Bespoke Kitchen Foods as it moves into its next stage of growth. With the backing of LDC, the firm’s management team has ambitious plans to diversify its customer base, broaden the product range, and scale production capacity through its new facility in line with growing sector demand. Our funding will help the team deliver on these objectives and continue its impressive momentum – it’s exactly the type of resilient, high-potential business OakNorth was created to back.”
OakNorth was advised by Gateley (Alison Davidson-Cox, Chris Jones and Scarlett Culliney).
LDC was advised by Food Strategy Associates on commercial and operational diligence (Robert Lawson, Richard Wyborn, Nigel Devine) with support from Future of Foodservice (Simon Stenning), Coppett Hill on Go-To-Market DD (Dave Kirby and Harry Von Behr), Cooper Pary on corporate finance (Tom Summers), Cortus Advisory on financial diligence (Paul Kithoray and Phil Dean), Brown Jacobsons on legals (Sam Sharp, Matt Bolton and Shaun McCabe) and Moore Kingston Smith (Guy Taylor). BKF was advised by Needle Partners on legals (Sharon Needle and Connor Kendle).
ENDS
Notes to editors
About OakNorth
Launched in September 2015 and founded by entrepreneurs, OakNorth is a digital bank focused on serving and empowering the lower mid-market (businesses with £1m-£100m in turnover), that are seeking to scale but are routinely underserved or overlooked by traditional banks.
To date, it has provided $17bn to these businesses across a wide range of sectors, achieving performance metrics that place it amongst the top 1% of commercial banks globally. Its loans have directly contributed to the creation of 61,000 jobs, and over 36,000 new homes across the UK and the US – the majority of which are affordable and social housing.
It is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.
Visit www.oaknorth.co.uk for more information.
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About LDC: www.ldc.co.uk/pressrelease
- LDC is a private equity investor and part of Lloyds Banking Group. It is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
- We have invested £3.9bn to back 179 management teams over the last decade. Today, we have a portfolio of more than 90 businesses across the UK.
- We have made investments across all major sectors of the UK economy and are actively supporting businesses in industries including Business Services, Consumer, Healthcare, ICT, Industrials, Media and Technology.
- LDC-backed businesses have grown 3.3x more than the average medium-sized business over the last decade.
- Our teams are based in every part of the UK.
[1] IMARC Group – UK Plant-Based Food Market Size, Share, Trends and Forecast by Type, Source, Distribution Channel, and Region, 2025-2033