London's Baked Goods.

I saw a lot of baked goods today. A lot, even for me. Where I've been so far: Ottolenghi, Sally Clarkes, Gail's & St. John's. This weekend: Baker & Spice, and everything in Borough Market.

What I've learned so far:

Butter is amazing and I hope all the bakers here know how good they have it. Seasonality is perhaps a foreign concept. International breads and pastries sit side by side. Americana standards are being celebrated. Portions are large. Salt is often missing. Everyone gets to use Valrhona and I'm a little jealous. In order to charge the prices one would need to make a bakery work, a shop needs to be in a very posh area. There's a real movement for getting back to old-fashioned, artisinal bread baking. Elegance is celebrated but not replaced for flavour. Few people are incorporating cornmeal or buckwheat into baked goods. Rye bread can be found without caraway seeds in it (!) Traditional British baked goods are held in high regard.

Tomorrow I meet up with a cousin I have not seen in too much time, at Borough Market. I will put my 'Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market face' on and push my way through the crowds seeking out old favorites and making new ones.

Any other bakery suggestions I must take you up on?
Note: I do not have a car-- all my traveling must be done on the Tube.

Comments

[cookiecrumb]

Sugar, you can get Valrhona at Cost Plus!! Fairly reasonable. Amazing.

Ms. Cookiecrumb!

Yes, thank you. But what I mean here is more about commercial baking because using it in America is not only cost prohibitive, it has a lot of problems in customs and so getting it in such large quantities can be challenging.

Someone said years ago, when the EEC opened up, that England & Ireland got the best deal when you considered the chocolate they had access to before... Nice to see you here. Hello to Crankycrumb, Shuna

[Aaron]

Konditer and Cook...near the Borough Market...beautiful wonderful baked goods.
PS...I spent the afternoon in the treehouse...it says hi.

Aaron, funny you should mention this place. I am going there on someone else's recc. and I can't wait to see. thank you so much for the treehouse greeting-- you know it means so much. ~ Shuna

[Krista]

Here are a few more--I twittered you some recs, but only so much you can fit in!

William Curley, Mayfair. Chocolates, mainly.

Paul Young, Islington. (City too, but prob closed on weekends.) Chocolates.

Yauatcha, Soho. Love the macaroons

Green Valley Supermarket, Edgware. Nice little Lebanese supermarket. Great baklava displays in the windows.

Hummingbird, South Ken & Notting Hill: The cupcake craze recently landed here. Not sure if it's your thing, but they're fun.

One off the beaten path rec that I haven't been to yet but have been dyin to try is Yasar Halim in Green Lanes (north of Islington). It's a Turkish supermarket that's supposed to have great pastries an breads.

La Fromagerie in Marylebone is lovely for a light breakfast or lunch. Probably not super heavy on the pastries--obviously more of a cheese place--but nice just the same.

On Saturdays, I like Broadway Market in Hackney for a more-easy-to-navigate place than Borough. Good people-watching too!

Happy exploring!

Hello Krista,

Thank you so much for taking the time to share this very long list with me and everyone at eggbeater! Zow. You can be sure I'll be going to those "Ethnic" markets because in the States such places are really rare and what's imported into the USA is terribly limited.

I'm sorry I didn't get your tweets-- just direct message me next time. And perhaps I'll run into you gathering deliciousness in the coming weeks... Thanks so much again. I have linked to your blog as well so I can find you easily in the future. ~ Shuna

[Victoria]

Did you like Ottolenghi? Did you eat at Sally Clarkes restaurant or go to the shop? What did you think?

By the way - off the point - I got my copy of Platter of Figs yesterday and lost sleep reading last night.
Have a GREAT day!

Victoria,
I loved Ottolenghi. Bought and ate one thing and this next week will do more of the same. Did not eat or buy anything at Sally Clarkes (long story.) The bread at Gail's is amazing. More soon, I promise. ~ Shuna

[Tartelette]

Enjoy yourself!

[French Laundry at Home]

Not necessarily a pastry recommendation, but if you get a chance to check out Neal's Yard Dairy in Covent Garden, I think you might want to move to London and live right in their shop. I know I do.

[MollyMayhem]

Totally not England related, but since you sound excited about non-caraway rye bread, House of Bagels makes it here in SF.

But you a) probably already know that, and b) are more than likely totally capable of making whatever kind of rye bread your heart desires.

[kang]

there's a great cupcake shop in south kensington which you gotta check out the hummingbird bakery, always makes me smile :)

[Bron]

You should try Comptoir Gascon for amazing pastries and cakes. It's in Charterhouse Street across from Smithfield Market. Actually a fairly informal restaurant - great food, chips cooked in duck fat - but they also are open from 9 for coffee and pastries/cakes and sell takeaway. Possibly the very best in London. They're open Tuesday to Saturday.

I shop at Borough Market every week and - sadly - there is nothing there that equals this place. Mind you I'd probably end up big as a house if there was!

Bron,
Thank you for your suggestions! Funny how people keep suggesting places my friend here has worked at. (I omitted your URL because by putting it in the fields below you create a link to your blog.)

Yes, Borough Market is a unique experience, although, with a bit of time and ingenuity, I have found much of what's there in the rest of London. Nothing like finding it all in one spot and with all that condensed energy of excitement though. ~ Shuna

[bruleeblog]

There's a Neal's Yard Dairy next to Borough Market too. I still have dreams about their cheeses....

Bruleeblog, Just so you know-- Cowgirl Creamery distributes Neal's Yard Dairy cheeses if you're based in Ca. or the USA. ~ Shuna

[bruleeblog]

Sadly, I'm in Canada and am far away from Neal's Yard Dairy's reach for the most part. A couple of weeks ago my local cheese shop was selling something they labelled as Neal's Yard Lancashire, and I pounced even though a section of it cost me an arm and a leg. (I suspect it's Kirkham's Lancashire distributed by Neal's Yard, but didn't care as I was too busy eating my cheese.)

[nazilam]

If you are there on Sunday, go to Columbia Road Flower Market. Lots of little bakeries on the street up to the Market.

Yum.