The 13 best artisan bakeries in Britain for 2026

Whether you’re partial to a cruffin, a sticky cinnamon bun or prefer something savoury – a ham-and-cheese croissant, perhaps – few things beat the levelled-up baked concoctions of a destination artisan bakery. If you’re plotting your next carb pilgrimage, we’ve got just the thing.

Baking industry magazine British Baker has officially announced the UK’s top artisan bakeries for 2026. The rankings were based on which bakeries excite visitors most, inspire admiration for their skill and passion, and keep customers coming back for more.

These being artisan bakeries, they’re fancier than your bog-standard high-street bakehouse. Artisan baking is all about time, craft and quality. Think slow-fermented doughs, traditional techniques and carefully sourced ingredients. 

British Baker’s top artisan bakeries list featured 13 institutions, spread across the UK. Two of the bakeries were in London and you can read all about that specific duo on Time Out London here. 

In Chester, the husband-and-wife team behind The Bear Bakery earned a place thanks to indulgent savoury creations. Exceptional sourdough forms the base of the Bear’s generously filled sandwiches, while buttery pastry steals the show in best-selling sausage rolls.

York’s Haxby Bakehouse got a nod for having championed ‘real’ bread (no flour improvers, hydrogenised fat or preservatives in sight) since 2008. Part bakery, part delicatessen, the Haxby also cooks up beautifully decorated fruit-topped cakes and fluffy croissants.

Up in Glasgow, Big Bear Bakery pulls crowds with its black sesame sourdough and focaccia sandwiches. With Bulgarian head baker Iskren at the helm, the ever-changing menu keeps regulars on their toes – previous highlights include a flourless garash cake and spinach-and-feta boreks.

Meanwhile in Kendal, Loving Artisan lives up to its name. Founded with a passion for natural, wholesome baking, everything at the Cumbrian baking spot is made using natural ingredients. Alongside cruffins and ‘bliss-cuits’ (bite-sized squares of nourishing oats, bran, honey and butter), the team otherwise specialises in sourdough rye, barley bread and traditional rugbrod.

The top artisan bakeries in the UK right now, according to British Baker

Find 2026’s top 13 artisan bakeries in Britain below:

• August Bakery, London
• Big Bear Bakery, Glasgow
• Chatsworth Bakehouse, London
• Farro, Bristol 
• Gorse, Newquay 
• Haxby Bakehouse, York 
• Imma the Bakery, Henley-on-Thames
• Lannan, Edinburgh 
• Lovingly Artisan, Kendal 
• Northern Rye, Tyneside 
• Pettigrew Bakeries, Cardiff
• The Bear Bakery, Chester 
• The Tiny Bakery, Leicester

Find out more about the full list on British Baker here.

This south London bakery was named the best in the capital.

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