Europe's Best Bakeries E-Book

Sarah Guy

• Herausgeber: September Publishing
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Beschreibung

An inspirational, illustrated guide to Europe's 135 best bakeries. From the splendid Eccles cakes of London's St John Bakery to the delicate pasteis de nata at Manteigaria in Lisbon, Europe's Best Bakeries has baked goods for every taste. Breads run from giant sourdough loaves at Poilâne in Paris to more than twenty types of focaccia at Genoa's Panificio Mario. The aroma of just-baked bread, the chewy bite of an oven-fresh bagel and the thrill of a cream-filled patisserie are conjured up in this enticing list of bakeries from the UK, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, Spain, Greece, Italy, Germany and France. A fascinating, mouth-watering and unique introduction to Europe's long and impressive baking tradition. Please note this ebook contains colour images and address links and may not be well-suited for older e-readers.

Leseprobe

The idea for Europe’s Best Bakeries began simply, with an interest in a fast-expanding baking scene – one of the few areas of the high street that is truly flourishing – and an admiration for the individuals driving the growth.

Food writer and editor Sarah Guy enlisted top restaurant reviewers, food and travel writers, and baking and food bloggers from throughout Europe to search out and review the best bakeries, large and small. The results are combined with photographs both from the bakeries themselves and from a host of enthusiastic Instagrammers and bloggers, creating what we hope you’ll agree is a feast of a book.

This book is dedicated to all those who are brave enough to follow their passion and rise at 3am to knead our breads and mix our cakes.

CONTENTS

By Country

Introduction

Austria

Demel – Vienna

Gragger – Vienna

Hofbäckerei Edegger-Tax – Graz

Joseph Brot vom Pheinsten – Vienna

Parémi – Vienna

Belgium

Maison Dandoy – Brussels

Croatia

Korica – Zagreb

Kruščić – Split

La Marquise – Zagreb

Czech Republic

Bakeshop – Prague

Cukrárna Myšák – Prague

Denmark

Conditori La Glace – Copenhagen

Det Rene Brød – Copenhagen

Meyers Bakery – Copenhagen

England

Bageriet – London

Baker Tom – Falmouth

Baltic Bakehouse – Liverpool

Barbakan – Manchester

Beigel Bake – London

Bertinet Bakery Café – Bath

Bettys – Harrogate

Bread Ahead – London

Bread Source – Aylsham

Bread Station – London

Companio Bakery – Manchester

Comptoir Gourmand – London

Dominique Ansel – London

Dusty Knuckle Bakery – London

e5 Bakehouse – London

Flint Owl Bakery – Lewes

Hambleton Bakery – Exton

Haxby Bakehouse – York

Hobbs House Bakery – Bristol

Leakers – Bridport

Old Post Office Bakery – London

Patisserie Sainte Anne – London

Pollen – Manchester

St Ives Bakery – St Ives

St John Bakery – London

Trove – Manchester

Violet – London

Finland

Café Succès – Helsinki

Ekberg – Helsinki

Fazer Café – Helsinki

Levain – Helsinki

France

Chambelland – Paris

Du Pain et des Idées – Paris

Farinoman – Aix-en-Provence

La Fougasse d’Uzès – Uzès

Maison Adam – St Jean De Luz

Maison Aleph – Paris

Maison Villeret – Nîmes

Maison Violette – Avignon

Maison Weibel – Aix-en-Provence

Pariés – St-Jean-de-Luz

Poilâne – Paris

Sylvain Depuichaffray – Marseille

Ten Belles Bread – Paris

Tout Autour Du Pain – Paris

Yann Couvreur – Paris

Germany

Bäckerei Balkhausen – Cologne

Bäckerei Hinkel – Düsseldorf

Bäckerei Pfeifle – Freiburg im Breisgau

Black Isle Bakery – Berlin

Brotgarten – Berlin

ConditCouture – Frankfurt

Confiserie Graff – Frankfurt

Hofpfisterei – Munich

Isabella Glutenfreie Patisserie – Düsseldorf

Patisserie Tarte & Törtchen – Stuttgart

Tollkötter – Münster

Weichardt – Berlin

Greece

Blé – Thessaloniki

Bougatsa Giannis – Thessaloniki

Chatzis – Thessaloniki

Hungary

Auguszt – Budapest

Damniczki – Budapest

Gerbeaud – Budapest

Pékműhely – Budapest

Ireland

Bewley’s – Dublin

Italy

Biscottificio Antonio Mattei – Prato

Caffè Sicilia – Noto

Il Fornaio di Domenica Ordine – Turin

Marchesi 1824 – Milan

Panella Roma – Rome

Panificio Bonci – Rome

Panificio Constantini – Venice

Panificio Davide Longoni – Milan

Panificio Mario – Genoa

Santo Forno – Florence

Luxembourg

Namur – Luxembourg

Oberweis – Luxembourg

Netherlands

Hartog’s Volkoren – Amsterdam

Lanskroon – Amsterdam

Patisserie Holtkamp – Amsterdam

Ugga – Amsterdam

Northern Ireland

Cookie Jar – Newcastle

Ian’s Home Bakery – Belfast

McKee’s Country Store and Restaurant – Newtownards

Norway

Åpent Bakeri – Oslo

Ille Brød – Oslo

Poland

Aromat – Warsaw

A Blikle – Warsaw

Lukullus – Warsaw

Portugal

Fabrica Das Verdadieras Queijadas Da Sapa – Sintra

Manteigaria – Lisbon

Padaria Ribeiro – Porto

Pastéis de Belém – Lisbon

Scotland

Aran – Dunkeld

Cottonrake Bakery – Glasgow

Earth’s Crust – Castle Douglas

Falko – Haddington

Söderberg – Edinburgh

The Wee Boulangerie – Edinburgh

Serbia

Mali Princ – Belgrade

Pelivan – Belgrade

Spain

C’an Joan De S’aigo – Palma

La Campana – Seville

Casa Aranda – Malaga

The Loaf – San Sebastián

Pastas Beatriz – Pamplona

Pastelería Arrese – Bilbao

Pastelería Oiartzun – San Sebastián

Sweden

Bageri Petrus – Stockholm

Conditori Nordpolen – Vara

Güntherska Hovkonditori & Schweizeri – Uppsala

Leve – Malmö

Olof Viktors Bageri Och Café – Glemmingebro

PM Bröd & Sovel – Växjö

Söderberg & Sara – Ystad

Tössebageriet – Stockholm

Switzerland

Conditorei Péclard im Schober – Zurich

Moser’s Backparadies – Baden

Wales

Baker’s Table at Talgarth Mill – Talgarth

Popty’r Dref – Dolgellau

Credits

Introduction

There are 135 life-enhancing bakeries, patisseries and tearooms in this book, and there could have been hundreds more: so many traditional establishments continue to thrive, and the revival of interest in real baking has meant scores of new bakehouses across Europe.

Real bread is staging a fight-back after years in the doldrums and regaining its place as ‘the staff of life’; bakers from different countries are exchanging ideas and practices, new ideas are being introduced and ancient grains are being rediscovered. Both the longevity of Europe’s finest patisseries and the popularity of The Great British Bake Off demonstrate that there will always be an appreciative audience for the artistry and creativeness involved in baking.

Every bakery has a story to tell. Sometimes it’s an individual one, about a baker or cake-maker on a personal crusade, but often there’s a bigger tale, with regional histories and cultures captured in recipes and baking lore. We’ve visited small, family-run bakeries producing the same wholesome loaves as 100 years ago, historic grand cafés showcasing impressive cakes made to centuries-old recipes and single-minded modern bakers inspired by the magic of sourdough. Opening a patisserie or a bakery is rarely about simply finding a retail niche – the life of a baker, while satisfying, is just too hard (those early mornings) to undertake without real enthusiasm. Premises big enough to hold ovens, a shop and perhaps even a mill are expensive, especially in cities, where even railway arches don’t come cheap. Passion isn’t a word used in many professions, but it’s one used all the time when baking is involved. Many of the bakers featured in this book have an almost missionary zeal about the life-enhancing properties of real bread, while pastry chefs have always known about the pleasure that a perfectly executed patisserie can bring.

Real bread, made with flour, water, starter and salt, and left to rise naturally, will do most people nothing but good, just as – in moderation, of course – a slice of exquisite gateau as an afternoon pick-me-up is a joyous thing. For those who cannot tolerate real bread, many of today’s bakers are extending their talents to gluten-free baking, and some establishments, such as Chambelland and Isabella Glutenfreie Patisserie, produce only gluten-free goods.

Sourdough bread and fancy doughnuts may be popular all over Europe, but many other baked goods remain resolutely regional: there’s a thrill to trying tsoureki in Thessaloniki, cuarto in Mallorca or croquants in Nîmes. There’s also something satisfying about going to the source: buying biscotti at Biscottificio Antonio Mattei in Prato, Italy; deciding which Lisbon pastelaria makes the best pasteis de nata; or visiting a stroopwafel specialist in Amsterdam. Europe’s Best Bakeries lists all these glorious treats and more, and is a reminder that bread, cakes and buns are almost as much fun to read about as to consume.

Choosing which bakeries to include was a challenge. We wanted to feature much-loved community favourites as well as publicity-savvy big names, and to list inspiring new bakeries alongside historic boulangeries and patisserie-cafés, including idiosyncratic single-item producers and one-man bands along the way. Scores of excellent bakeries missed the cut, so apologies if your favourite Parisian patissier or London sourdough maestro isn’t here. Suggestions came from all over Europe, from bakers themselves as well as enthusiastic customers. The reviews were written by food and travel writers, baking and food bloggers, and restaurant reviewers, all knowledgeable consumers of baked goods, and some of them also skilled practitioners.

We’ve listed the reviews alphabetically to make it easy to find a favourite bakery (for listings by country, see the Contents), and also to immerse the reader immediately in the wealth and variety of baked goods available across Europe. So Maison Adam, a specialist macaron producer, sits next to Maison Aleph, a brilliant new French-Syrian fusion patisserie; the Old Post Office Bakery, an old-school organic bakery, follows Oberweis, one of Luxembourg’s smartest establishments – all fascinating, mouth-watering and unique examples of Europe’s long and impressive baking tradition

Åpent Bakeri

Oslo, Norway

Damplassen 24-25, 0852 Oslo, Norway

apentbakeri.no

When Øyvind Lofthus and Emanuelle Rang opened Åpent Bakeri on Inkognito Terrasse in 1998, they changed Oslo’s bakery scene forever.

When Øyvind Lofthus and Emanuelle Rang opened Åpent Bakeri on Inkognito Terrasse in 1998, they changed Oslo’s bakery scene forever. The pair combined French and Norwegian baking traditions to splendid effect, and their first artisan bakery introduced wonderful croissants and French bread to the capital. The Åpent French country loaf represented a departure from Norwegian baking norms; even today its deep brown crust and moist crumb gives the competition a run for its money, and it’s served in many of Oslo’s best restaurants. Both the bolle (the much-loved Norwegian take on a cardamom bun) and the baguette are served with jam from Sogn, the well-known berry-producing district of Norway, on the side. Thirteen openings later, this handsome, airy spot at Damplassen is a favourite hangout with locals. It’s in a refurbished old bakery, in a green, well-heeled area of the city away from the tourist trail. Coffee comes from Oslo-based Lippe, a renowned kaffebrenneri (coffee roaster), and is best enjoyed with one of Åpent’s croissants (fabulous, flaky, buttery things) or the famous bolle – a divine combo, and the epitome of Scandinavian hygge. A variety of sweet options includes brownies, slices of apple cake, pasteis de nata, scones, fruit tarts and a wealth of seasonal treats. There are loaves aplenty, plus sandwiches (open and filled, with the likes of shrimp and dill mayo) and lunchtime salads. On a summer’s day, kick back with a homemade ice cream or sorbet at one of the outdoor tables – prime territory for watching the world go by

Aran

Dunkeld, Scotland

2 Atholl Street, Dunkeld, Perthshire PH8 0AR, Scotland

aran-bakery.com

The bakes continue to fly off the shelves, and it’s not unusual for all the sourdough loaves to have been sold by noon.

What used to be a down-at-heel newsagent’s in the pretty Perthshire village of Dunkeld hit the headlines when it became Flora Shedden’s aran làthail (‘daily bread’ in Scottish Gaelic). Shedden, who shot to fame after she made it to the semifinal of the BBC’s The Great British Bake Off in 2015, used her new-found status to raise funds for her very own bakery, and it’s turned out to be a real star. When it opened in October 2017, everything sold out in four hours. Even now, the bakes continue to fly off the shelves, and it’s not unusual for all the sourdough loaves to have been sold by noon, especially on a Saturday.

‘Flora bakes as much as she can herself,’ smiles Scott, who like many of the staff that work at Aran, went to Dunkeld school with Shedden, and can account for her reputation as a hard-working and gifted artisan, ‘but demand has been so high that she’s had to rent out another unit, in Birnam, where the bakers can get on with much of the preparation of the cakes and pastries.’ Nearby Birnam is the site of the famous oak – the last of the Birnam Woods that famously moved to Dunsinane on the helmets of soldiers to fulfil the witches’ prophecy in Macbeth – which means that there’s no shortage of Shakespeare pilgrims. Visitors stock up on picnic supplies – though you can perch at a window seat for a coffee and a croissant, there’s no full-scale café as yet.

In terms of daily bread, the bestseller is the classic sourdough, but GBBO fans tend to make a beeline for the leaf-shaped fougasse, a Provençal version of focaccia with a lovely scattering of herbs and salt. There’s also a walnut and honey rye – just perfect for weekend mornings with coffee and the newspapers.

Many of the ingredients that go into the cakes and sandwiches – free-range eggs, meats and salads – come from local producers, which further elevates Aran’s standing in the community, as do the distinctively Scottish specials: one popular sweet pastry is the Fly Cemetery (a sweet, crumbly fruit slice) and the shortbread is, of course, exemplary. But Flora’s talents run to more exotic cakes too: there’s the tonka bean and rhubarb cake, for example, or the black sesame and vanilla one, alongside the more familiar brownies, cookies and scones

Aromat

Warsaw, Poland

Ulica Sienna 39, 00-121 Warsaw, Poland

aromatpiekarnia.pl

You can see the bread being baked: kids enjoy peering through the glass and seeing the staff in action.

A winning blend of Polish and French baking, opened in 2015, Aromat was the homecoming project of a Polish family based in France. As Maciej Adamczyk was finishing his MBA, his mother had just completed her diploma in patisserie at a prestigious Parisian institution. ‘Rather than hang it on the wall,’ says Adamczyk, ‘we decided to set up our own business back home.’

This modern café-cum-bakery right beneath the gleaming Warsaw Towers in the centre of the city exudes warmth and a pride in quality produce. Every two months or so, a lorry arrives from Paris carrying stone-ground French flour, and often it also brings over a French expert to school Aromat’s bakers in the ways of slow fermentation. You can see the bread being baked: kids enjoy peering through the glass and seeing the staff in action, though their attention soon wanders to the bright display of eclairs (pistachio, nut and vanilla, lemon and chocolate).

A recent introduction, inspired by a trip to Stockholm, has been cinnamon rolls. ‘My mother’s always getting ideas when she travels,’ laughs Maciej. The lemon cake (there’s also an orange variety) is a riff on the US-style carrot cake. Polish tradition hasn’t been forgotten either. Classic dark and rye breads sit alongside the baguettes (classic and rustic), while the 100 per cent Arabica coffee is roasted in Warsaw (there’s a house blend in the pipeline). The formula is a success: as well as a thriving wholesale business supplying nearby offices and hotels, there’s another branch of Aromat at the trendy Hala Koszyki food market, and yet more in development

Auguszt

Budapest, Hungary

Kossuth Lajos utca 14-16, 1053 Budapest, Hungary

auguszt.hu

The appearance of gesztenyepüré (chestnut purée) in the display cabinet signals the arrival of autumn.

Auguszt in name, august in appearance, this fifth-generation family concern located near the equally historic hub of Astoria is one of Budapest’s most venerable cukrászda (patisserie). The foundation date of 1870, elegantly carved on the window, can only hint at the backstory here: upheaval, war, imprisonment, destruction, rebirth – and cakes.

Let’s start with the cakes. Displayed around an island counter, itself the centrepiece of a two-floor interior filled with marble-topped tables, are delicacies old and new. Chilis mangó torta, a light mousse of mango with a touch of chilli and a biscuit base, is a contemporary invention. Auguszt krémes, three layers of thin wafer separating fresh cream and vanilla, would have been just as popular when Elek Auguszt unveiled his little pastry shop on the Buda side of the Danube in 1870. Fame spread after his son József won top prize in the baking contest at Hungary’s seminal millennial celebrations of 1896, and József and his wife opened another cukrászda with a terrace, garden and palm trees in 1922, sending their son Elemér to do his pastry training at the Dorchester in London.

Then war brought havoc. Elemér spent three years in a Soviet prisoner of war camp before struggling home to a bombed-out shop in 1948. His father found another location, living just long enough to see it succumb to the Communist takeover. After the 1956 Uprising, Elemér and his wife opened up on Fény utca, passing the business on to their son József.

In the 1990s, this downtown outlet was set up and given a vintage revamp to echo a century or more of tradition. Currently, granddaughter Auguszta runs the Pavilion branch near Farkasréti cemetery, while her sister Flóra oversees operations here.

Beneath a huge chandelier, savoury snacks, such as spenótos hassé (petite spinach pastries) and krumplis pogácsa (potato scones), share the spotlight with slices of apple pie and towering layered creations of Habsburg heritage. Beigli, synonymous with Hungarian Christmas, is offered year-round in its common poppy seed or walnut varieties. The appearance of gesztenyepüré (chestnut purée) in the display cabinet signals the arrival of autumn. All coffees can be ordered caffeine free, teas are loose-leaf, and there’s a roaring trade in lemonade and ice cream in summer

Bäckerei Balkhausen

Cologne, Germany

Apostelnstraße 27, 50667 Cologne, Germany

[phone]

More than eighty types of bread are formed and baked here every day.

Bäckerei Balkhausen may seem pretty busy during the week, but on Saturdays you have to queue down the street to get through the door of this Cologne institution. While you’re in line, however, you can appreciate the bakery’s window displays, with breads of all shapes and sizes stacked in one window, and a neat display of pastries and cakes in the other. Once inside this very traditional shop, you’ll find it worth the wait: the small room is wall-to-wall with good-value artisan breads and pastries, the atmosphere is lively and welcoming and the smell (and view) of freshly baked goods being pulled out of the ovens and brought to the front of the shop is simply wonderful.

Service is very fast, yet friendly, even when the lines are out the door. Trained pastry chef Gerd Balkhausen believes his bakery’s popularity is partly down to the sheer variety of products on offer. More than eighty types of bread are formed and baked here every day, and there are often new additions, sometimes from recipes suggested by Gerd’s customers and employees. ‘Variety is important,’ he says, ‘it keeps the customers interested.’

Popular loaves include the dark Dänische Schwarzbrot (Danish black bread), Kartoffelbrot (potato bread) and Möhrenvollkornbrot (carrot wholegrain bread); the vegetable quiche is also very good. The sweet stuff here should not be overlooked either, from the moreish Russischer Zupfkuchen (part chocolate cake, part cheesecake) to the wonderfully sweet and nutty hazelnut yeast-dough Bobbes. During carnival season, you can hardly move for what many consider to be Cologne’s best Berliner (jam filled doughnuts).

Among the extraordinary selection of breads and pastries here, there’s one that’s particularly special – not just to the bakery, but to the city of Cologne itself. During World War I, Vice-Mayor Konrad Adenauer (who later became the first Chancellor of West Germany) patented a recipe for an emergency bread, made using a high percentage of corn flour as rye and wheat were scarce at the time. Much later, Gerd modified Adenauer’s recipe, using whole grains of corn instead of flour, and today he’s the only baker in the city still selling Kölner Brot (Cologne bread)

Bäckerei Hinkel

Düsseldorf, Germany

Hohe Straße 31, 40213 Düsseldorf, Germany

baeckerei-hinkel.de

Mandelhörnchen (almond crescents), Nussecken (nut wedges) and Quarkbällchen (deep-fried quark batter balls dusted with sugar) all make perfect snacks.

Düsseldorf’s favourite bakery was founded in 1891 by Jean and Katharina Hinkel. Having been handed down through three more generations of the same family, the business is now run by their great-grandson Josef, who is also the head of the Düsseldorf’s guild of craft bakers. Electing to focus on quality and service, the Hinkels have only ever had two outlets, located just 300 metres from each other in Düsseldorf’s old town, not far from the river Rhine.

Hinkel’s Hohe Straße bakery is home to their energetic baked goods production. It’s a warm and welcoming shop with a bustling atmosphere, a classic German bakery that offers a couple of standing tables if you want to snack inside, but not an awful lot of room for much else. There are rustic-looking loaves in the window and classic German cakes and pastries in glass counters.

Loyal customers come from near and far, but the friendly staff are efficient, so you never have to wait too long to be served.

The baked goods at Hinkel’s are very traditional, very high quality, and very, very German. The loaves and bread rolls are made almost exclusively of wheat, spelt and rye, plus their own natural sourdough starters; all are produced by hand. Around sixty different kinds of bread are baked here each day, and there are various daily specials on top. Choose from rye and rye mixes, wheat and wheat mixes, alternative grain breads such as buckwheat, or the raisin breads – particularly good is the Wochenendstuten, or weekend raisin bread, dotted with almonds, raisins, candied lemon and orange. There’s also a huge selection of rolls sprinkled with various seeds, and some top-notch savoury pastries such as the Athena, a hearty wheat bun topped with sheep’s cheese and hot peppers.

Browse the cake counter for a slice of cherry crumble cake or Butterkuchen, a yeast-dough cake made with a lot of butter, sliced almonds, sugar, marzipan and cream. Mandelhörnchen (almond crescents), Nussecken (nut wedges) and Quarkbällchen (deep-fried quark batter balls dusted with sugar) all make perfect snacks. At Easter and Christmas, don’t miss out on Hinkel’s Stollen, which contains a cheeky slug of Killepitsch, the local herb liqueur

Bäckerei Pfeifle

Freiburg, Germany

Carl-Kistner-Straße 20, 79115 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

baeckerei-pfeifle.de

Once you’ve got one of Pfeifle’s breads or pastries in your hands, you’ll be transported.

Situated on a main road in the Haslach district of Freiburg, the original Pfeifle bakery is thriving. It was founded in 1906 by Franz-Josef Pfeifle and his wife, Karoline. Four generations later, the business has survived two world wars and much economic hardship, and the enthusiastic Wolfgang Pfeifle is at the helm. Freiburg’s favourite bakery has another ten branches in the city, plus a permanent farmers’ market stall.

This outlet is a little bland, but the staff are friendly and efficient, there’s adequate seating inside, and in any case, once you’ve got one of Pfeifle’s breads or pastries in your hands, you’ll be transported somewhere else altogether. The baked goods are made with real passion for both traditional baking craftsmanship and the city of Freiburg; ingredients are of the highest quality, and regional and seasonal wherever possible. Gourmet magazine Feinschmecker has named Pfeifle one of Germany’s best bakeries every year since 2001.

Having become an active supporter of the Slow Food Association in 2009, these days Pfeifle is focused on giving the entire baking process more time and care. It’s one of the first bakeries in Germany to use innovative volcanic stone ovens to produce a loaf with a crunchier crust and more delicate crumb. Stone oven-baked bread rolls include the Oberlindenweck, a crusty wheat roll made with fresh quark and semolina (also available in loaf and baguette forms), and the Augustinerweck, a rye roll with a deeply addictive flavour. In terms of loaves, the highly aromatic Friburger Michel is a must-try – a wheat sourdough bread with a delicate, splintery crust made to a secret recipe. The rustic Green City Einkorn, made with 100 per cent einkorn wheat (the oldest ancient grain in the world), is favoured for its nutty, honey-like flavour. The Puddingplunder, a Danish pastry filled with vanilla cream, is our pick of the plentiful sweet pastries

Bageri Petrus

Stockholm, Sweden

Swedenborgsgatan 4b, 118 48 Stockholm, Sweden

[phone]

Bageri Petrus could be described as the perfect blend of French patisserie heritage and old school Swedish home-baking traditions.

Petrus and Alexandra Jakobsson are the dynamic duo behind this little bakery in Södermalm, considered by many to be the best in Stockholm. It’s an unassuming spot, more cosy than flashy, but once you sink your teeth into one of their buttery, crispy croissants, pains au chocolat or kouign amanns you’ll realise what the fuss is all about.

Bageri Petrus could be described as the perfect blend of French patisserie heritage and old school Swedish home-baking traditions, with flavour and texture as the guiding principles. Creations come caramelised, crispy, nutty or creamy in just the right way; a mouthwatering mix of slightly sweet and the right kind of salty.

Choose between imported classics like pasteis de nata and canelés or go native with cinnamon buns and the ‘seven kinds of biscuits’ that were served at every respectable Swedish coffee gathering right up until a few decades ago. Other Swedish evergreens are milanopinne (a biscuit filled with almond paste), pariservåffla (buttercream-filled wafers) and kongress (hazelnut-filled tarts).

Petrus Jakobsson also makes sensational bread (sourdough, of course). He loves to experiment with locally sourced and milled grains such as spelt and einkorn, and the bread is cold risen for flavour. The Danish rye brings tears to the eyes of expat Danes. The breads are named after streets in the neighbourhood – the levain ‘St Paul’ and the walnut bread ‘Yxkull’, for example.

The bakery has recently expanded to allow for more seating – although the business is mainly a bakery, many people have realised that it’s also a charming location for a fika (coffee break). Don’t expect Italian espresso coffee here, though – in keeping with the back-to-basics philosophy, the coffee is filter, but it is well-made and freshly brewed, from beans roasted by the micro roastery at Koppi. One final tip: if you’re looking for a hearty breakfast, order the spelt porridge

Bageriet

London, England

24 Rose Street, London WC2E 9EA, England

bageriet.co.uk

Sit in here with a coffee and a sockerkringlor – a sweet, brioche pretzel that, like a good doughnut, leaves sugar round your mouth – and you have achieved fika.