Four north London bakeries named in Good Food Guide top 50

The guide’s network of anonymous inspectors have been on the hunt for the freshest croissants and most flavoursome loaves in the country – from a small coastal bakery in the Scottish Highlands to Cornwall’s Gorse bakery.

Among the neighbourhood venues championed by the guide is Tarn Bakery, which took over an old trattoria in Hazellville Road off Hornsey Lane in December 2023 following a Crowdfunder.

Florin Grama and Felix Ortona Coles, who met while working at St Barts restaurant in Smithfield, use UK-grown wheat and seasonal ingredients from small producers to make tempting sourdough, cookies, cakes, buns, croissants and sandwiches – with a pizza night once a month.

Writing on their website they say: “At Tarn we hope to build a community that connects our customers with our farmers, together celebrating beautiful produce and nutritious and nourishing food. The bakery sits atop a steep hill and – just like a Tarn at the top of a mountain – is a welcome sight following the climb!”

The Dusty Knuckle in Green Lanes, Harringay is a bakery and cafe by day and a pizza and wine spot by night. As well as serving delicious sourdoughs, sandwiches and pastries, they run a youth training programme for at-risk 18 to 25-year-olds facing barriers to employment.

E5 Bakehouse was founded in 2010 in a Hackney railway arch. (Image: Ben McMahon) Further east is the long-established E5 Bakehouse. Founded by Ben Mackinnon in 2010 in a Hackney railway arch, it has expanded from making bread to serving lunches, cakes, drinks, running baking courses and supplying cafes and restaurants across London, including running the new V&A East Storehouse cafe in Hackney Wick from May.

With a second buzzing bakehouse in Poplar, it operates along ethical lines, sourcing local ingredients “which benefit the ecological health of the planet”.

And in Hackney Wick, social enterprise bakery and cafe Hearth is “working to build a better localised food system and support our communities”.

Sourcing from farms within a 50-mile radius, the Wallis Road store is famous for its bestselling sourdough cinnamon brioche buns, but also its bakes using wholemeal buckwheat, pea or oat flour.

The Guide says a uniting factor among the top 50 is meticulous attention to sourcing the best British ingredients to offer an affordable taste of excellence.

Editor Chloë Hamilton, said: “Some of the best talent on the food scene right now is in Britain’s bakeries. The bakers are the people most connected to their local food systems and celebrating the best of the British seasons, and the quality of craftsmanship outshines the pastry sections of some of the country’s top restaurants.

“The best part is, you can get a taste of it for (mostly) less than a fiver. You’ll just have to join the queue.”

www.thegoodfoodguide.co.uk