[title]
How good can a pain au chocolat get? Well, it’s time for Londoners to find out for themselves, as the Bridge Baker in Fulham has been awarded a 2-star Great Taste Award for its take on the pastry.
Judges celebrated the pain au chocolat in question for its ‘excellent lamination and rich buttery flavour with clotted cream notes’, noting that the confection is ‘wonderfully light and fluffy’. The pastry itself, reported these – ahem – tastemakers, is simply ‘impressive’.
And that’s not all. The Bridge also received the nod for its galette des rois, which received 1-star, as did its cranberry shortbread. This brings its number of Great Taste Awards to a grand total of eight.
In response to the gongs, the Bridge Baker team said: ‘We’re absolutely thrilled with these results. Receiving a 2-star award for our pain au chocolat is especially rewarding. Laminated pastry is one of the most technically challenging products to produce, and this recognition reflects the incredible skill, dedication and care of our pastry team.’
There are three branches of Bridge Baker in the capital, with the first having opened on Wandsworth Bridge Road in 2017. A second followed on Fulham Road in 2023, with a third opening its doors in Olympia in 2025.
Bridge Baker focuses on creating its own products, of which its founder Gauri Nafrey – a former banker – once told the Real Bread Campaign: ‘I started the business as I loved the idea of a local, neighbourhood bakery. I have no professional baking qualifications but had been making my own sourdough and other bread for more than 15 years before I started Bridge Baker. As an ex-banker, I was able to use my management and financial skills to set up a business that would be viable.
‘That’s part of the reason that we make such a large range of products on site. In a place like London, it’s very hard for a business to survive by focusing on just a few products, unless it’s in a location where it can rely on plenty of passing customers and a high volume of sales.’
The Great Taste Awards were launched by the Guild of Fine Food in 1994. On its website, the organisation explains the rating system as follows:
- 3-star: Exquisite: Extraordinarily tasty foods – less than 2 percent of products are awarded 3-stars each year. Buy it!
- 2-star: Outstanding: Above and beyond delicious – about 10 percent of entries receive this rating.
- 1-star: Simply Delicious: A food that delivers fantastic flavour – approximately 28 percent of entries will achieve this rating each year.
So, if you’re in that neck of the woods and feeling peckish, you know what to do.
Bridge Baker, 811 Fulham Road, SW6 5HG.
The best bakeries in London.
Did you know that London will soon get direct trains to Switzerland?
Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.
Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.