Nasheed Qamar Faruqi

I am not ignorant of the baked goods on offer at London’s cornucopia of bakeries, but as far as the many chains – both great and small – go, I remain mostly unmoved. I would say however that several branches (and yes they can vary a little from branch to branch) of Le Pain Quotidien, do decent baguettes. They are my go to when I want this french type of bread. I also find their seeded, walnut and rye loaves acceptable.

Poilane’s various loaves are stocked at most branches of Waitrose and I do love their country loaf, their rye bread and their walnut breads. Still, there are times when I sense that those loaves have been sitting on the shelves at the supermarket for a tad too long…. and the whole point of yummy bread is that it should be fresh. If you pop into Poilane’s Elizabeth street (or any other) branch, be sure to buy some of their delicious little biscuits (punitions) and an apple tart which is to die for. But I digress….

Again, if you’re at a supermarket and in need of a loaf, I’d recommend Dr. Vogel’s breads as they do not contain any indigestible additives. I’m also a fan of the Food Doctor’s seeded pittas which are tasty, well priced and more nutritious than most pitta.