The UK’s 50 best bakeries have been announced – and 10 are in London

For many, the local bakery has become just as important as the pub – a cornerstone of the community and a ritual in the mornings. Whether you’re doing a fake work-from-home commute or treating yourself to a celebratory sweet treat after a particularly gruelling Parkrun, bakeries have slowly been taking over UK cities, villages, and towns – and we are here for it.

Thanks to the Good Food Guide, the 50 best bakeries across the UK have been officially revealed, and London swept up a solid 10 spots. One fifth of the UK’s best bakeries being London locals is the kind of maths we can get behind.

Making a change from usual roundups, most of the spectacular spots which made the list were in more local towns like Walthamstow, Dulwich, and Queen’s Park rather than central London spots. Taking a coveted spot on the list was Japanese French Bakery Arôme in Covent Garden, closely followed by August Bakery in Battersea, which was recently crowned the UK’s best independent micro-bakery in the Baker’s Dozen list.

There were literally no surprises that Chatsworth Bakehouse in Crystal Palace secured a spot on the list, a local institution which started up in 2021 and is known for its sandwiches, which literally sell out in minutes. They’re basically the Glastonbury of bakeries.

There were plenty of North London spots which made the list, including Don’t Tell Dad in Queen’s Park, E5 Bakehouse in Hackney which mills its own flour using a French stone mill and also promotes sustainable low waste methods.

Fred’s bakery in Oxford Circus was the other central spot on the list, whilst Dulwich’s Eric was the other South London entry to feature. Walthamstow had two entries: Lucky Yu and Suba Bakery. The former opens every other Sunday with no set menu, promoting its upcoming delicacies via social media, whilst the latter is a proper fusion bakery, with strong West African roots. Suba Bakery has other branches in Clapton and Spitalfields, with all its bakes influenced by African, European, and Asian flavours.

The full list of London bakeries is:

• Arôme Bakery, Covent Garden
• August Bakery, Battersea
• Chatsworth Bakehouse, Crystal Palace
• Don’t Tell Dad, Queen’s Park
• E5 Bakehouse, Hackney
• Eric’s, East Dulwich
• Fred Bakery, Oxford Circus
• Lucky Yu, Walthamstow
• Suba Bakery, Walthamstow
• Toad Bakery, Camberwell

You can peruse the full top 50 list here.

• London is getting a new restaurant where absolutely nothing is wasted

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