There’s nothing quite like starting your day with a pastry, or finishing it with a larger-than-necessary slice of cake. A good bakery can form a key part of a London neighbourhood’s identity, becoming part of residents’ daily routines and creating a delicious hub for the community. Many people in London will have their favourite local spot – and there are too many impressive ones to name – but here are just a handful of the best bakeries in London to have caught the eye of the Inspectors.
Typically immaculate creations from Cédric Grolet. © Cédric Grolet at The Berkeley
Cédric Grolet at The Berkeley: Immaculate Illusions from a French Master
Ask London’s culinary elite about where to buy the best baked goods and one name keeps cropping up: Cédric Grolet. The French pastry chef has made quite the name for himself with his simply gorgeous-looking creations, and he has found the ideal partner for his first venture outside of Paris in The Berkeley, one of London’s most luxurious hotels and the holder of Two MICHELIN Keys. Available via click and collect or to be enjoyed in situ, this hotel pâtisserie serves an array of sweet treats including the trompe l’oeil fruits which helped make Grolet famous. For an extra special treat, book the Chef’s Counter, where the creations are prepared in front of you.Fabrique: Swedish Sourdough in Central London
Swedish couple Charlotta and David Zetterström left their jobs in finance to pursue their passion for baking and fill a gap in the market for high-quality Swedish sourdough. Fast forward a few years and there are branches of Fabrique in Stockholm, New York and London. They have sites dotted across the British capital, including a delightful one under the arches on Geffrye Street in Hoxton. Here, as in all good bakeries, a delicious aroma fills the air; it’s one of the first things you notice when you enter, along with the bags of flour waiting to be used. There are a range of sweet options available – including the typically Swedish cardamom buns – but it’s the simply delicious bread that forms the cornerstone of the business, which can be bought whole, in halves or in quarters.
A tomato-packed baguette from bakery and restaurant Jolene. © James Hole
Jolene: Sharing Plates and Perfect Pastries
One of the jewels of north-east London’s food and drink landscape, Jolene began in Newington Green and has now expanded to include sites on Hornsey Road, Redchurch Street and Colebrooke Row. You can expect the full gamut of bakery fare, from croissants and pain au raisins to sourdough loaves and an ever-changing sandwich selection – plus a smattering of cakes too of course! Making a visit even more appealing, the Newington Green and Hornsey Road sites also operate as restaurants serving a blackboard menu of well-crafted sharing plates, while the industrial-chic interiors fit the cool, accessible style of the place perfectly. Needless to say, start your meal with their bread and butter.Love all things MICHELIN?
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A selection of Pophams' baked good and sweet treats. © Pophams
Pophams: The Local Bakery Turned Pasta Restaurant
Established in the same corner of London as Jolene, Pophams was first brought to life in Islington, with two extra sites in Hackney suiting the area perfectly. If some bakeries are all about freshly baked breads and others irresistible cakes, then Pophams' niche is very much their pastries. From the bacon and maple version they established themselves with, to simple croissants and ever-evolving flavour combinations like Marmite, schlossberger and spring onion, these lovingly laminated creations have gained Pophams quite the reputation. In addition to the bakery, the London Fields branch operates as a restaurant in the evenings, serving a selection of homemade pastas. The Islington and London Fields sites also house Pophams Home, where you can buy all manner of homeware from candles to cutlery.FORNO: Italian Goodies Under a Railway Arch
Housed in a big, vaulted shed under a Hackney railway arch, FORNO is another operation proving that this trendy neighbourhood is the place to be for baked goods. The workshop occupies half the room, allowing you to admire the skill of the team while you indulge in a buttery, flaky pain au chocolat with your coffee. Bread and pastries are produced all day long, constantly replenishing the shelves, while there is a notably Italian slant to much of the goodies on offer: focaccia, cornetto al pistacchio, tiramisu and even house-made pasta from their pastificio, perfect for taking home to impress your dinner party guests. The flours used are of prime quality and carefully sourced from mills in Somerset and Italy.
The St. JOHN Bakery stall and their famous filled doughnuts. © St. JOHN
St. JOHN Bakery: An Iconic Restaurant's Delightful Doughnuts
Few restaurants are as closely associated with British cuisine as St. JOHN. It is a place known for its focus on quality produce and straightforward yet superbly executed cooking – a formula perfectly suited to the art of baking. The evidence can be found in the delicious madeleines served at the end of your visit to the restaurant. At the off-shoot St. JOHN bakeries (found in Neal’s Yard, Borough High Street and tucked under a railway arch near Maltby Street Market), loaves of bread and sandwiches are available, but most people come here for their famous doughnuts.
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Hero Image: The enticing counter at Cédric Grolet at The Berkeley, one of the best bakeries in London. © Cédric Grolet at The Berkeley
