Starving hungry with a lot to say. Welcome to my insiders’ guide to London’s bakery landscape, for those of you who like to know what you’re walking into before you commit to the tube ride. I research and execute my content as passionately as I eat it, I establish my distinctively descriptive voice decidedly, and I adventure through this ever-transitional industry with a genuine devotion to bakery-centric people.

A speckle of sun and the gelato is out. Frankly, any time is the right time if it hits the spot. A 99 flake from an ice cream van on the seafront, or a trio of something artisanal at a restaurant – most likely, a tub of something naughty at home. Recently, I took a meander around London with my sister, causing pastry to scatter down our fronts and laksa spillages at a nifty noodle bar, but ended up at Venchi in South Kensington. Two orbs of sweet strawberry gelato and a chunky chocolate coin with the brand name proudly etched into the centre, the crowning jewel bestowed on all orders at the shop. “Just stracciatella please”, I said, quite firmly. Eyes locked in, queuing patiently, closely following each twist and swirl, drizzles of freshly melted chocolate freezing onto the surface of the sunken tub of stracciatella, as if to both tempt and reaffirm i’d made the right choice. Gelato, as I see it, is an essential food for a happy life.

Bagel of champions at Juliet’s Quality Food..
A gravity-defying stack of savoury muscle, impressively strapping and very sexy. It engenders respect not just by its size, but by the sheer existence of it. It is commanding, the likes of which you’d see from a hefty New York deli sandwich. Housemade Boudin Blanc (French white sausage) – addictively crispy-fried hash browns – an astonishingly thick slab of silken set custard – showered in their namesake hangover sauce and grated Lincolnshire poacher – all crammed into a freshly baked sesame and fennel bagel. It is undeniably a feast, however, if you believe in your powers of food consumption, consider getting the cornbread. I am yet to visit without ordering it, bagel and all.

A tiramisu beignet dripping in chocolate ganache, a berber omelette in batbout laced with the spices of Morocco, a mighty sausage roll (the mascot of the British picnic), and a baby pistachio cake decorated with ripples of raspberry buttercream. It’s very easy to build your banquet at Fortitude Bakehouse. A cult pitstop that demands the presence of beignet-centric crowds who spiral into a frenzy when 11am rolls around. It must be said that this is a bakery bigger than just their beignets, a marvel of baking prowess nestled in the chic side streets of Bloomsbury in London’s West End that keeps queues long, bellies full and tastebuds satisfied.

You know what makes me happy? Great cake – and not because i’m cake obsessed. In fact, it’s the complete opposite, and i’m damned by an unavowed hostility towards it. Typical cake: agonisingly hit-and-miss. Guinness cake from Finks lends itself to the class of people who enjoy their cakes like brownies, feeling tipsy with excitement and an unerring vigour to seize every slice. Mischievously fudgy, exceedingly light and replete with soft peaks of cream cheese buttercream. Saint Patrick’s Day may have passed, but I choose to reject any sentiments other than Guinness cake is to be enjoyed all year round.

The comeback is on its way folks. Lots of exciting foodie things to come, including a smattering of all the content that’s been lying dormant for far too long (my bad!). Beginning with the blood orange and rosemary danish from Sourdough Sophia. A pastry so pretty I daren’t slice into it immediately, it expresses a defined articulation of a blood orange’s anatomy, as vibrant by colour as it is by smell, speckled with fresh rosemary, together erupting into the bitterness and tang of a post-dinner negroni, softened by swoon-worthy white chocolate crémeux against audibly crisp pastry. These simple pleasures are the result of carefully sourced produce, thoughtful flavour pairings, and meticulous execution. Sensory perfection.

Chunky slabs of sesame-studded golden brioche, tenderised pieces of bavette steak cosied beneath melty provolone cheese, crispy potato scratchings and oodles of buttery Café de Paris sauce. Crunch is the kind of place you’re going to when you know exactly what you want, no ifs, ands, or buts. Nothing about a steak sandwich suggests going half-assed –no juice or sauce spillages? No burnt ends finding their way into your lap? Even if you tend to be the neatest of eaters, one thing I don’t like to compromise on is the bread. It must be sturdy enough to hold together its innards without breaking apart entirely, that’s the worst, and if you enjoy perpetual sweetness to contrast against your salt intake, then this is the steak sandwich for you. Would I personally want a pickle? Yes.

We are a nation of chocoholics: from the decadent cocoa wonderland of Harrods' Chocolate Hall to the joyful squiggles of a corner-shop curly wurly - Easter brings them out in droves. When I cast my mind back to the chocolate of my youth, I suppose I was another Dairy Milk kid (and a “chocolate must be kept in the fridge kid”). ‘Grown up chocolate’ is a different kind of fun. Cakes, tarts, layers of mousse and ganache to accompany a glass of full-bodied Italian red, profiteroles, soufflés and giant molten chocolate puddings late at night with one spoon.

@therivercafelondon only requires eggs, butter, sugar and Original Beans chocolate to display spectacular opulence, and frankly show off. The award-winning chocolate nemesis cake delivers ludicrously rich and silky mouthfuls of mousse-like batter making it infinitely eatable. I felt comforted and excitable, like a child receiving a Colin the Caterpillar cake on their birthday, just as much as I was simply honoured to be there. It has withstood the test of time for over 30 years amidst a daily rotating menu and there is no greater testament to its majesty than that.

Pain suisse. It’s a stroke of genius. Flaky buttery croissant dough and chocolate chips smelted into rocky terrain over oozing custard. I visited Milk Run in Tooting, specifically after receiving numerous tip offs and I can see why – well-balanced, clearly crafted by an expert hand, and ate deceptively light. It’s only a short 13 minute walk to the bakery’s highly respected big sister, Milk Cafe, the ever increasingly popular brunch spot who also knows their pastry.

‘Boxing’, ‘Day’ and ‘Sandwich’: straightforward words in their own right, together, they promise infinite pleasure, certainly more than any restaurant reservation. Countless carbs, however many ingredients you choose – though I prefer a few carefully selected components to get the balance just right. Leftover slices of turkey, goose, or slow roast lamb, something tangy, something starchy, something salty, crispy and fresh. Sauce is essential. Bread even more essential. In my mind, there really is no better sandwich than the one that allows us to digest the highs and lows of the year and give Christmas Day the ultimate send off – not least one that reminds us that with a little perseverance we really can eat that much. Take some inspiration from this knock-out festive turkey sandwich with all the trimmings from Finks. There is no wrong Boxing Day sandwich – or sandwiches if you’re made of stealthier stuff. Wishing you all an equally food-filled and relaxing continuation of your festive celebrations.

London Bakery Guide was established in 2020 and having amassed a community of over eight thousand followers, the page was hacked and deleted in late 2024.

London Bakery Guide

From the microbakeries that charm a neighbourhood, to the big players who survive the trenches of their Saturday morning queues without sacrificing product quality, from the City’s upper echelons of restaurant desserts, all the way back to the sandwich worth the walk on your lunch break. London Bakery Guide is a shared space for culinary connection, one pastry at a time.

Please enjoy this selection of work which will continue to reflect the page as it develops and rebuilds. For London Bakery Guide in its entirety, click below.