Bake it til you make it: little luxuries in pâtisserie

05 July 2023 by Will Hawkes

Affordable luxuries, such as high-end baked goods, are in demand as customers treat themselves in hard times. Will Hawkes looks at the best of the bakes to get tummies rumbling

How would you feel if you saw Nigella Lawson standing in a lengthy queue outside your bakery? For Shaheen Peerbhai, owner of Miel in Warren Street, London, the sight of one of Britain's most famous food personalities waiting patiently in March this year induced a moment of panic. "I thought: ‘Oh my God, I hope she doesn't leave!'" she says, laughing.

She didn't, as a cheery photo of Lawson and Peerbhai on Miel's instagram account attests – but why would she? Peerbhai and her 10-strong team have built a big reputation since Miel opened in 2019. It's based on quality: Miel uses excellent quality ingredients, largely sourced from across the Channel – like Valrhona chocolate, for example, or butter from Poitou Charentes – to make superb viennoiserie, pastries and breads.

It might seem counterintuitive during a period of deep economic stress, but treats like those produced by Peerbhai are in demand. It's an affordable luxury when people are cutting back on so much else. According to a recently-published report by Baker & Baker, supplier of bakery goods, one in five consumers still buy sweet bakery goods several times a week, while 68% think they're value for money in the current climate. That's clearly good news for operators, but how can they ensure they make the most of the public's resilient demand for baked goods?

Sweet as honey

The working day begins early at Miel. At 6am, bread goes into the oven, to be ready for when the doors open to customers at 7.30am. Baking continues throughout the day, with items like canalés and kouign-amann constantly coming out, while savouries are baked ready to go on the counter at lunchtime. Meanwhile, in the production kitchen, preparation for the following day goes on.

"We want to have something fresh coming out all day," says Peerbhai. "When someone comes in the door, I want there to be something warm, that's just come out of the oven, cooked in small batches. When you walk past there's always a good smell, whether it's cinnamon or the underlying aroma of butter."

Peerbhai's baking credentials are impressive. After training at Le Cordon Bleu in London and Paris, she won James Beard Scholarships and authored a book (Paris Picnic Club) before opening Miel in 2019. In 2020, when Covid-19 arrived, Miel was able to stay on an even keel by selling not only baked goods from the door but also other items that customers couldn't get their hands on, like eggs and butter.

There's a commitment to quality at Miel which underpins what they do. Everything on the counter looks beautiful – but that's not the most important thing, according to Peerbhai. "Before looks comes flavour," she says.

"I focus on getting the flavour right, and I focus on getting texture and the quality of eating it right. I think if you focus on doing things right, you automatically get the right look too."

A lot of the focus in UK bakery is about new trends, with operators aiming to offer customers something they haven't tried before. This trend was arguably kicked off by the cronut, which came out of New York in 2013, but there have been plenty of hybrid imitators since, from the cretzel to the macaringue.

Peerbhai is not averse to trying something new, but it's clear her approach is based on getting the principles right first. "Creativity is built on the foundations of technique; the classical way of doing things. The creative side comes in if you have an ingredient, like a seasonal fruit, that you want to play with."

Customers love it, she adds. "Every time we introduce something new, we struggle to keep the counter stocked up. When Alphonso mangoes came into season, we were selling out of mango tarts within the hour – that's 60 tarts."

The most popular item at the moment, she says, is the pistachio swirl, which is pistachio pastry cream and chocolate chips topped with pistachio butter and roasted pistachios. "It's our most indulgent product," she says.

While Peerbhai's baking is based on sound classical French foundations, there are other traditions gradually coming to the fore in the UK. Kuro Bakery, recently opened in Notting Hill by business partners Julian Victoria and Jacob Van Nieuwkoop, offers Japanese specialities like milk bread Shokupan and Sakura, a wheel-shaped croissant roll filled with cream.

In London at least, there's clearly still strong demand for sweet baked goods. "People appreciate that it costs a lot less than going to a restaurant," says Peerbhai. "It's an affordable luxury."

What's old is new

Given the diversity of baked options available in the UK, you could be concerned that doughnuts and scones and other traditional British options are no longer relevant, but they still have a part to play, according to Karin Janssen, bakery expert and business development manager at ingredients supplier Henley Bridge.

"Influences of European, American and Asian flavour profiles and products can be seen alongside our traditional but still very important UK bakery staples of sticky iced Belgian buns, plain jam doughnuts, Victoria sponge, chocolate croissants and flapjacks," she says.

George Tatlow, head of new product development at Wrights, part of the Compleat Food Group, agrees that consumers want to "experience bakery heritage", albeit often with a twist. "The flavours and practices of the past are crucial to the future of bakery sales," he says.

"Some of our best-selling products [are] the scone and the jam doughnut, but we are developing ways of adding value by using different flours or sourdoughs, experimenting with international blends, such as a brioche with a doughnut, and introducing cultural hybrids, such as our panettone-inspired doughnut."

Doughnuts of a more transatlantic nature are on offer from Donut Worry Be Happy, part of the La Lorraine Group. They include Nutty Zafari, which features a white glazing drizzled with dark chocolate stripes and crunchy nuts, and Belgiyummy, filled with real Belgian chocolate and covered in white chocolate flakes, choco chunks and Belgian chocolate glazing.

American flavours like these continue to be popular. Dawn Foods recently launched an American Bakery range featuring a Blondie Mix, a New York Style Cheesecake Mix and a Crunchy Peanut Butter Filling, all to be used as the basis for cakes and desserts. "A big bakery trend is the flavours of the US but with a twist," says Jacqui Passmore, marketing manager. "This is being driven by younger consumers – Gen Z and Millennials – for whom life is about experiences."

Exploration often ends on the beaches of southern Spain, which may be why churros are having a moment in the sun, as Paul Stanley, foodservice manager at Middleton Foods, explains in relation to the company's pre-made churros mix. "Classic churros are a quick, easy option for satisfying a sweet tooth," he says.

Make it tasty

Those aiming to add a special touch to their desserts should consider Santa Maria's snack bases, according to the company's taste creator Barney MacAdam. "Simply fry and coat in cinnamon and vanilla sugar or cardamom and icing sugar and serve, or add to ice-cream, fresh fruit and crushed nuts, or crumble on top of sundaes or seasonal puddings for an indulgent crunchy finish," he adds.

Gluten-free is growing, with Glebe Farm at the front of the pack. It's been producing gluten-free oats in Cambridgeshire since 2010, and the business has recently secured five major UK listings (including Bidfood and Elior UK), boosting its availability of its award-winning PureOaty oat drink range.

MacPhie, meanwhile, believes that its bakery mixes, icings, frostings and fillings are the perfect way to tap into a host of trends, from super-sized cakes to hybrid bakes. Then there's Horlicks, which, marketing director at Aimia Foods Michelle Younger says, is the perfect option for anyone aiming to "add a delicious malty twist to bakes or desserts".

Some of the most important ingredients in the kitchen don't go in the food, of course. Take Savvie, a bakery and café sales forecasting and stock solution that has the potential to help businesses keep costs and food waste down. The app – so its creators say – helps businesses track which items are selling well, which ones aren't, so they can quickly react by only ordering what's necessary in the right quantity.

Then there's De Buyer's AIR range of perforated bakeware, which comes in almost 20 sizes. "It ensures consistently excellent baking, crisp crusts and delicate pastry, as well as the flexibility to allow your imagination to run riot," says Paula Sherlock, managing director of Signature FSE, the UK agent of De Buyer.

Another option, of course, is to improve your own skills in the kitchen, or to absorb knowledge from some of the best in the business. To that end, Peerbhai is relaunching her teaching workshops – curtailed by Covid-19 – in a new space next to the bakery. Want to find out how to impress Nigella? Here's the perfect place to start.