Editor’s pick from Britain’s 50 Best Bakeries 2026
Published 08 April 2026

Arguably the best croissants in London (if not the UK) are on offer at Eric’s – a local bakery run by ex-Flor supremo Helen Evans. Inside, it has a level of refinement that most of its rivals simply cannot match: carefully chosen interiors and an intentionally gentler style of service create what one visitor called 'an elevated experience'. Those croissants get their unmatched depth of flavour from a mixture of meticulously sourced wholemeal and emmer flour, but everything excels here: savouries include a rich, tangy and devilishly moreish aubergine and fermented fava bean swirl, while sweet inducements range from exemplary pain au chocolat to cinnamon buns. Eric's only serves filter coffee, but that’s just fine by us.

The golden croissant-shaped door handle sets the tone of this glossy bakery and café before you've even stepped inside. Fred's Oxford Circus outpost, opened in 2025 and complementing the original in Holborn, has earned its place on the social circuit – though its merits run far deeper than influencer aesthetics. Butter-laden bakes are a portal to the streets of Paris at their finest; a decadent tiramisu bun tempts the sweet-toothed, but it's the cinnamon buns, baked fresh throughout the day and served still warm, that stopped us in our tracks.

Handy for a classy train snack to go, this excellent bakery next to Bristol Temple Meads station is also a hugely popular destination in its own right. Inside, it’s simply decorated with moveable counters on castors and a gleaming coffee machine in front of the open-plan workspace. There are also a few tables inside and a couple of outdoor benches for those who want to linger over their doorstep sourdough toasties or cinnamon buns. Open from early doors till 3pm, its daily menu of baked goodies is supplemented by lunch specials such as chicken and tomato broth with asparagus and peas. Coffee is from the local Extract roastery. é

Leeds Dock was once a stew of 19th-century warehouses, where barges would offload coal to supply the heavy industries of nearby Hunslet. Its transformation came in the mid 1990s with the arrival of the Royal Armouries Museum and later a mix of residential and business premises, of which Sarah Lemanski's bakery, opened in 2019, is a major standout. There’s no seating but you can watch the dough being kneaded while waiting to pick up one of their long-proved sourdough loaves, brown butter madeleines, almond croissants, or a bag of chewy chocolate-chip cookies. The counter and shelves are also stacked with all manner of on-trend provisions from esoteric homemade marmalades to Leeds honey, pasta and pulses. Eight-week 'bread subscriptions' available.

Pa Modou’s petite little Suba bakery is one of Walthamstow’s greatest hits. From the Gambia by way of Hackney, his African- and Asian-inflected bakes are spectacular elevations on the classics. Estate Dairy butter and milled-to-order grain from Scotland are baked into ‘plain’ croissants, produced in batches throughout the morning for the ultimate stretchy, flaky freshness and finished with a mango syrup glaze. There are also bantu buns fragrant with caraway, and sunshine shades in the signature 'mango baobab danish' with cardamom cream. On our latest visit, a Japanese egg mayo sandwich was a savoury highlight. There are outlets in Spitalfields and Upper Clapton.

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.