A popular family-run coffee shop and bakery is closing after 13 years.

Manuel’s Market & Bakery in St John's Road, Tunbridge Wells, has sadly served its last pastry.

The store provided fresh bread, pastries, homemade cakes and sandwiches for the town.

Co-owners and sisters Maria and Alex Gonzalez made the decision to shut at the end of last month.

Since April, the pair have decided to venture into catering.

“We started to do grazing tables and boards,” 32-year-old Alex explained.

“After doing it for my sister’s hen do, it looked so pretty and was really successful – we decided to see if anyone was interested.

“We’ve had such a good response, but that has taken up a lot of our time.”

Maria and Alex will also be scaling back to focus solely on their main store in Rusthall High Street.

The business was previously owned and run by their father, Manuel Carvalho, who opened the shop in September 2009.

A second branch in St John's Road was launched nine months later.

However, on New Year’s Eve in 2017, the 53-year-old died suddenly from a ruptured artery.

Maria and Alex were just 22 and 25 at the time.

Alex explained: “My dad used to be a chef in London, so we grew up with the best food ever.

“We didn’t even have a microwave because he cooked everything from scratch. We used to work with him in the shop on our days off.

“So we learnt from him how to do everything and when he died, it wasn’t such a shock to get stuck in.”

She added: “We don’t have any relatives here so it was quite hard for my sister and I.

“But we have a strong bond and can face practically anything now.”

Alex says they both dream to start a family of their own soon.

“People say to us our dad would be so proud,” she said. “He was someone you didn’t forget.

“To be able to successfully carry on his business after all these years means everything.

“It was always going to be big shoes to fill. I think he’d be really happy for us.”

The building along St John's Road is set to be refurbished and kept as a coffee shop.

It has been taken over by Alex’s friends and will be called Leaf and Bean.

An opening date is yet to be confirmed.