Britain’s Best Bakeries 2026: Six Scottish spots rise to the top
Published 31 March 2026

Owned by Flora Shedden, a Dunkeld local and once the youngest-ever finalist on The Great British Bake Off, this stylish whitewashed bakery enjoys a prime position on the main thoroughfare and has contributed to the town's burgeoning reputation as a foodie pit stop for the Highlands. Locals have much to be pleased about too, with a roster of seasonal danishes (from wild garlic and goat's cheese to fig, honey and walnut), alongside beautifully flavoured, inch-thick shortbread, golden sausage rolls, focaccia sandwiches and house sourdough made with landrace flour, grown and milled in Scotland. Hot eats include cheese and kimchi toasties as well as seasonal soups, which are best enjoyed at a spot by the window if you can snag one.

Bandit's sourdough loaves are excellent, as are the fluffy focaccia and crusty baguettes. Once you start going for those, it’s hard to stay away from the croissants, fantastic cinnamon buns, cookies and brownies – especially as the small coffee shop (and its excellent coffee) is such a draw too. And did we say it was totally vegan? With his commitment to high-quality ingredients, Peter Leonard has raised the bar on what bakers can achieve. A beacon of flavour-forward breads and pastries.

By Wednesday each week, the Beefcake Café's Facebook page reveals the eclectic delights that will be available to eat in or take away from Thursday to Sunday (10am-2pm). The owners have an obsession with sourdoughs and a passion for pastry, and this very personal business sells out fast. Their regular menu of filled floury baps brimming with breakfast or brunch, loaded sourdough toasts and viennoiserie is supplemented by the likes of sweetcorn fritters with avocado and poached egg, while pies might bring bold combos such as butternut squash with oyster mushroom and halloumi. Otherwise, their perfectly laminated croissant-based options are supplemented by ever-changing danishes (think pear, blackberry and tonka bean). There's bread, of course, and the place is licensed too.

Some bakeries deserve extra praise for their beautiful creations, and this sophisticated sourdough bakery and coffee shop at the heart of the Crieff community is one of them. But while Emily Hart’s almond croissants may be a sweet hit with many, she is equally well-known for her savoury danishes, sourdough loaves and focaccia. However, we reckon the soft, flaky, buttery morning bun, drenched in orange and cinnamon sugar, is the showstopper, transporting us to pastry heaven.

From lines out the door at The Palmerston to crowds overwhelming her Stockbridge bakery, Darcie Maher can’t help but attract queues for her pastrywork. Do the goods deliver? Absolutely. The sunny corner spot is an apothecary-like arrangement of glistening cardamom buns, puffed-up pain au chocolat, vanilla slices and sugared cinnamon scrolls stuffed with cloud-like vanilla cream, while a hatch onto the working bakery offers a glimpse of masters at work. To get the best selection, it’s wise to turn up before 9.30am – or earlier if you can. Coffee is Obadiah and the hot chocolate is from Glasgow’s micro bean-to-bar factory Bare Bones.

From sourdough bomboloni to German schrotbrot, soft Scottish batch rolls and buns layered with freshly milled green cardamom, there’s nothing John Castley can’t – or won’t – turn his hand to. What comes out of the wood-fired oven is less about good looks than how it eats, and a wholehearted dedication to the Scottish grain revolution has put this pretty Perthshire village on the international baking map. In addition to the Comrie shop, Castley's bread and pastries can be found at Perth Farmers’ Market as well as several delis, farm shops and cafés across Scotland.