Bakeries are undoubtedly among the things Britain does best. From sausage rolls and floury baps to croissants and other continental pastries, brilliant bakes can be found up and down the land, prepared by talented bakers. While national chains are convenient (here's looking at you, Greggs), having an amazing independent bakery on your doorstep can’t be beaten. So, we’ve searched high and low for the best bakers of bread, crafters of croissants and purveyors of pies across the UK.
Click or scroll through our gallery to discover the best bakeries in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and every key region of England, ranked to the very best.
Our selections and ranking are based on genuine reviews, awards and accolades, and the opinions of our expert team. This list is unavoidably subjective.
There’s one main reason why people flock to Arôme: honey butter toast. The signature treat takes a thick slice of Japanese milk bread, slathers it in honey butter, then bakes it, resulting in a sweet, sticky crust. Classic French baking meets East Asian techniques and flavours here, and other popular products at the trendy bakery include a miso apple Danish and buttercup-yellow egg tart. Croissants, pains au chocolat and all the other French classics are up for grabs, too.
Crwst is a café with a separate off-site bakery dedicated to ensuring everything is made from scratch with the very best ingredients. Customers looking for their daily bread will always find four types available, including white, wholemeal and sourdough loaves. But if it’s something sweet you’re after, brioche doughnuts and cinnamon swirls line the shelves, too. Thanks to an in-house line featuring everything from coffee to chocolate caramel spread and chai hot chocolate, you can even take a piece of the café home with you.
You can expect queues at Pollen, whether you visit its Ancoats location or head to the hip KAMPUS complex. The experience is worth the wait, though, with canal views (at Ancoats), hearty brunch dishes and terrific sourdough. Viennoiserie is a speciality here too, meaning flaky croissants, pains au chocolat and Danish pastries with seasonal fruity fillings can all be bought to eat in or take away. Don’t leave without picking up a jar of dangerously tasty croissant butter.
The team at ARAN (Scottish Gaelic for bread or loaf) have renovated a 200-year-old building, bringing fresh bread, pastries and cakes to the local community. They initially ran an open kitchen, but they soon had to open a separate kitchen nearby to meet demand. Chunky sourdough loaves and sweet and fragrant cardamom buns are the favourites here; however, the menu changes with the seasons, so there’s always something new to explore.
Started by Norman and Isobel Charles in 1970, Cherry Tree Home Bakery is still going strong. And, though the couple have retired, Isobel still has the final say on everything that goes on here. You’ll always find traditional bakes on the menu, such as soda bread and wheaten bread (also called brown soda bread), but the bakery is happy to move with the times too, offering a selection of wheat-free and gluten-free options, plus cakes ranging from lemon and blueberry to chocolate fudge.
French artisan bakery Levain & Cherry makes all its products with organic flours from France. Baguettes, sourdough and pastries offer the best the Gallic land has to offer, with some international influences making themselves known, too. Choose from doughy delights including sourdough focaccia, apple turnovers, and Cheddar and marmite swirls. Fans say the bakery produces some of the best croissants outside France – so it’s no wonder the opening of its second location in Stirchley saw queues out the door.
Known for its long-fermented sourdough and excellent sandwiches, The Angel Bakery sells direct to loyal customers in Abergavenny, as well as providing its bakes wholesale to other businesses (both locally and further afield). Locals know they can drop in for a good chat with the staff, a quality coffee and a sandwich filled with fresh ingredients, such as herby egg mayo, cucumber, aioli and bull’s heart tomato – plus freshly baked croissants in plain, almond and chocolate iterations.
A relaxed vibe and delicious cakes and pastries characterise these bakery-cafés, which have six locations across Norfolk. Whether you’re at one of Bread Source's Norwich outlets, at The Dial House B&B in Reepham or at Aylsham Market, you can bet on there being freshly baked bread, tasty sausage rolls and the best cinnamon rolls in town. Visitors also love that there’s always a good selection of vegetarian and vegan options, so there’s something for everyone.
Bread made without additives or preservatives is guaranteed at Ursa Minor Bakehouse, the café and bakery that’s been feeding Ballycastle since 2014. Locally sourced ingredients go into its seasonal bakes, from beautiful sourdough loaves to refined Viennoiserie. As well as the main café, customers can stop by the tiny Ursa Minor Minor, which is stocked with coffee, bread and pastries to take away. Want to learn to bake? There’s even an Ursa Minor Bakery School teaching the arts of bread baking, pâtisserie and more.
Danish bakery Brød brings Scandi cool to Cardiff across no less than four locations. Combining good baking and the Danish concept of hygge – a mood of cosiness and comfort – the bakery uses traditional methods to handcraft cinnamon swirls, rye loaves and pølsehorn (a cross between a hot dog and a sausage roll). For the full Scandinavian experience, customers can sit down for a Danish afternoon tea with classic open-faced sandwiches, pastries, cakes and tea, coffee or hot chocolate.
It’s not often you can find a bakery that nails it all, but Glasgow’s Beefcake Café has fans who rave about its bread, pies, buns and more – not to mention plenty of awards. The bakery and café does a top-rated Scotch pie, beautifully crusty sourdough loaves and soft cinnamon buns that you can not only buy fresh, but that you can also get frozen to bake at home. It’s a cosy brunch spot too, offering baps filled to the brim with meatball marinara, chorizo and square sausage.
Come for the cruffin and stay for the sourdough, cinnamon buns and lovely staff at Grain & Hearth. The croissant-muffin hybrid is the big draw here, with playful flavours making an appearance in the cruffin of the week (look out for takes such as spiced chai and pecan pie), but this dual-location bakery is also passionate about coffee, sourdough and fancy French pastries. Want to learn the ways of sourdough? Attend one of the bakery’s workshops to master the basics.
Everyone says you have to try the bear claws at Lovingly Artisan – the sweet American pastries are filled with rich almond and coffee cream. The saffron buns, made with a saffron-infused buttery brioche and plump sultanas, get shoutouts in reviews, too. For bread lovers, ancient grain and heritage loaves are available to take home, in award-winning flavours like cheese and chilli and malted barley. If you’re further south, you can also find Lovingly Artisan at Altrincham Market in Greater Manchester.
A diverse selection of international bakes graces the menu at Farro, from Portuguese pastéis de nata to enriched Polish babkas and buttery Breton kouign-amann. Many of the breads are made with ancient grains, which are milled in-house. Locals love this bakery so much that it often runs low on stock by mid-morning, so it’s smart to arrive early if you don’t want to miss out. Don’t forget to drop by during the summer, when soft-serve ice cream is on offer.
Local, seasonal ingredients are showcased at Bakers Yard, where everything is scratch made – and they know how to whip up a mean canelé here, too. But the rum and vanilla French pastries aren’t the only reason to visit this little bakery. Parkin (a spiced Yorkshire gingerbread made with oats and treacle), chunky chocolate chip cookies and Basque cheesecake all make appearances on the menu, and the quiche is also pretty popular.
Sourdough bread and pastries made with organic, stone-ground flours are sold alongside speciality coffee at this cosy Liverpool bakery. The shop may be small, but it’s full of magnetism, drawing in customers from afar who are all looking for top-quality bakes – and they’re willing to queue for them, too. The sourdough loaves are a true highlight; they make a fantastic grilled cheese, a customer favourite that comes up again and again in glowing reviews.
While Hamblin Bread holds some of its stock for drop-ins, it’s wise to preorder for guaranteed satisfaction. This popular Oxford bakery has two locations – one on Iffley Road and another at the Covered Market – both doing a fast trade in sourdough and buns, as well as cheese, cured meats and other provisions, such as local honey. Customers love the cinnamon rolls, saying they’re pillowy soft and rich with spiced butter.
Finding vegan bakes can be tricky, but Hearth is a favourite among London’s plant-based community. While it’s not a completely vegan bakery, lots of its offerings are made with no animal products, including loaf cakes and fruity buns. This organic bakery and café has plenty of non-vegan bakes, too – in fact, its bestsellers are enriched sourdough brioche buns featuring flavours that change with the seasons. All bakes are made with either wholemeal or alternative wheat-free flours.
Perfectly Instagrammable cakes are up for grabs at Yum Cakes, from a sugar and spice Biscoff drip cake to a super colourful Funfetti. But if you’re not planning to walk away with an entire cake, this award-winning bakery is also a coffee shop with a range of single-portion sweet treats, including cupcakes, brownies and slices of cookie pie. Belfasters can also catch Yum Cakes at East Block Bazaar on the last Sunday of every month.
Starting out as a workshop sharing knowledge of sourdough baking, Field Bakery developed into a shop, bread club and small milling operation. The workshops, run by experienced baker Rosy Benson, are still available – and they now include time spent with farmer Fred Prince of Gothelney Farm, where the bakery is located. If you’re more interested in eating than learning to bake, it’s the beautifully crafted sourdough loaves, kimchi sausage rolls and cinnamon rolls you’ll want to check out when you visit.
Both a bakery and a bookshop, Cereal Bakery is a rural operation that welcomes customers at the weekend (Friday to Sunday). Based at Burr’s of Tongue, a community hub founded as a trading post in 1932, it mixes tradition and modern trends. The signature bread is a wholemeal sourdough made with flour grown and milled in Scotland, but you’ll also find flatbreads on the menu. Chocolate shortbread, date and carrot cakes and Brazil nut barley biscuits are just a few sweet treats waiting to tempt you.
Looking for your daily bread? Check out these old-school British sandwich shops