Christ this is beautiful
There are two things you should know about the E5 Bakehouse under the arches by London Fields station. The first is, it is very distinctly NOT in E5. It IS in the best postcode in the city: E8 ( I asked about this – it’s because founder/owner Ben Mackinnon started the whole project in E5. Erm, I think. I was a bit busy drooling over the bread at the time).
The second is: it’s bloody marvellous. How? Let me count the ways. Most importantly we are talking about seriously good bread here. Crusty fragrant exteriors, soft chewy springy sour dough innards, lashing of seeds, hidden delights – this is bread of the highest order. My current fave is the raisin and walnut – a joy for making brie, grape and rocket sandwiches for special packed lunches, for example.
Also, it is a superb space. You walk through the cool slidey door and an aircraft-hanger of a bakery opens up before you. The whole place smells of goodness, it’s the type of smell that instantly makes you relax and the light-infused space is genuinely uplifting. There are a few tables inside and you can get coffee etc, but I’m pleased that they don’t bother with cakes or go too far off piste. Bread is far too serious a business for that.
Thirdly, the staff are gloriously hapless. They know and care about bread, but although really friendly they’re a bit ditzy,and all the better for it. Having hot young men decorated in artsy tattoos serving the world’s greatest food stuff also gives no cause for complaint.
If you’ve got a hangover, the simple, and simply brilliant, mustardy cheese and onion toastie is a life-saver and if you haven’t got enough money in your purse for some reason, they’ll usually let you pay it later.
This bakery is what London Fields is, or at least should be, all about. Detractors from Clapham may dismiss it as poncy nonsense, some may baulk at paying £3.70 for a loaf of bread – but what is really going on here is that a bloke, and some some folk who really care about an important thing, have created a great little business – and in doing so have brought a lot of pleasure to some local residents.
Londonfieldslover's Weblog 