Food and travel influencer Milly Kenny-Ryder has picked out the UK’s top bakeries in her book – which is out this month from Hoxton Press.
The second edition of Britain’s Best Bakeries features 62 venues in England, Wales and Scotland, with no less than 23 located in London.
She chose bakeries “worth a detour” with ethical practices, imaginative flavours, and a passion for their craft.
First on the list is Pophams, which founder Ollie Gold and business partner Lucy McWhirter opened as a tiny spot in the backstreets of Islington back in April 2017.
Taking over a derelict chemist they have grown to cult status for the likes of their bacon and maple Danish pastry, and have further expanded with bakeries in London Fields, and Victoria Park.
E5 Bakehouse, based under railway arches at London Fields, makes the list for its delicious brunches, pastries and sourdough, using flour milled on site from grain grown on their Suffolk farm. There’s also its mission to decentralise our food system by working with small-scale farmers using sustainable techniques.
The Dusty Knuckle in Dalston and Harringay, which has gone viral for its sourdough loaves and doorstep sandwiches “loaded with spiced veggies, cheese, yoghurt and chili”, also features. As well as serving loaves, it is a social enterprise offering jobs and training to young people struggling to find work.
Tarn Bakery was started in 2023 by Florin Grama (ex Pophams) and Felix Ortona Coles. They met working in Michelin star St Barts in Smithfield and now sell classic croissants, sourdough, and gorgonzola and squash or apple and whey Danishes from Hazellville Road – near Highgate.
She writes: “It has a charming neighbourhood feel, surrounded by other friendly community businesses, at the top of a steep hill with impressive city views.”
Panadera Filipino bakery in Kentish Town Road was founded by Florence Mae Maglanoc and Omar Shah, where favourites include loaded sandwiches made with pandesal (a Filipino milk bread) and filled with corned beef hash, panko chicken or mushroom. Other favourites include doughnuts topped with cubes of leche flan, a slice of vibrant ube (purple yam) tart, or a super fluffy pan de coco bun.
Kossoffs family run bakery opened in Kentish Town Road in 2021 but dates back a century when Wolf Kossoff, a Jewish refugee from Kyiv established the first Kossoffs Bakery in Arnold Circus. Decades later his great-grandson Aaron and girlfriend Jo Clarke revived the tradition in their beautiful, modern bakery and cafe serving Jewish classics, Viennoisserie, bestselling pain au chocolat and triple-baked almond croissant.
Margot was opened in 2016 by Michelle Eshkeri in East End Road, East Finchley, where she bakes all their own bread on site – Kenny-Ryder particularly loves their “tangy sourdough babka”.
Jolene opened in Newington Green in September 2018 courtesy of restaurateur Jeremie Comettoo-Lingenheim and chef David Gingell – and has now expanded to other sites including Hornsey Road. Top bakes include generously-iced spiced pumpkin loaves, double chocolate sea salt cookies, and wedges of raspberry and vanilla sponge.
Forno in Hackney is a bakery, deli and pastificio founded by Mitshel Ibrahim, who is also head chef of nearby pasta restaurant Ombralso. Specialities here include Roman-style pizzas loaded with Italian goodies like stracciatella, salame rosa and mortadella, and the maritozzi brioche bun filled with whipped cream.
Quince Bakery which opened in New North Road N1 in 2024, is famous for its brown butter buns, hand pies, and bread. It’s the first bakery from Anna Higham and champions traditional baking techniques and British fruit. Think quince and rice pudding tart, or roast pork sandwiches with quince aioli.
Violet Cakes in Wilton Way, Hackney is owned by ClairePtak who started out selling from a stall on Broadway Market and opened her Californian-style bakery in 2010. She famously bagged the kudos of making Harry and Meghan’s Royal Wedding cake, but for Kenny-Ryder it’s one of the best places to buy cake – especially their “good old fashioned tray bake, sprinkles and all.”
In her introduction on the rise of the artisan bakery, she writes: “Over the last decade it has been remarkable to witness the rise of independent bakeries across the country, with artisan (handmade, additive-free) bread and viennoisserie at the helm of the new offerings.”
She puts the trend down to the pandemic, when many of us rediscovered the joys of baking loaves and banana bread, the rise of bakery and coffee shop culture to rival pub culture, and the growing interest in slower lifestyles – “with more attention to craftsmanship, growing your own food, home fermenting and shopping for ultra-local British ingredients from independent producers”.
Britain’s Best Bakeries by Milly Kenny-Ryder is published by Hoxton Press based in Penn St, Hoxton, price £22.95.
