If you’re going to judge a bakery on one item, it should be their croissant.
The flaky, buttery treat is a classic for a reason, but it’s a fact that not all are made equal, and nothing compares to the joy of biting into a perfectly crisp yet sumptuously soft croissant.
While many will head to Paris to have the finest pastries from the likes of Cédric Grolet, you don’t have to hop on the Eurostar to get your fill.
The UK is home to many wonderful bakeries, with 20 of them recently going head to head in a competition to crown the nation’s best croissant.
And one popular London bakery scooped the impressive accolade for the second year in a row.
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The team at Chestnut Bakery, which has locations in Belgravia and Covent Garden, won the award for the UK’s Best Croissant 2024.
They beat out competition from several other beloved London bakeries, including Aries Bakehouse, Philippe Conticini, Chez Maitre, Qima Cafe, La Panaderia de Leo, and Cafe Kitsune at Pantechnicon, as well as 13 others from across the country.
Croissant lovers from around the UK voted for their favourite bakeries to make the cut, before a team of experts gave the final verdict.
Judging took place on September 26 at The Savoy Hotel, as a team of eight chefs and bakers gathered to conduct a serious taste test and give the verdict.
The panel, led by Cyrille Van Der Stuyft, Head Baker and Meilleur Ouvrier de France, meticulously evaluated each croissant, scoring it based on its shape, volume, colour, layering, texture and, most crucially, its taste.
Chestnut Bakery’s winning plain croissant, which has wowed judges two years in a row, is available at both of the company’s London bakeries and costs £3.45.
In a post on Instagram, the bakery said: ‘We are absolutely overjoyed to announce that we have been named the Best Croissant in the UK for the second time.
‘This incredible achievement would not have been possible without the love, support and votes from all of you — our wonderful customers and community!’
The bakery has somewhat of a cult following in London thanks to its pretty and creative bakes. On Instagram they’ve amassed more than 105,000 followers with social media users hailing their croissants and pain au chocolat as ‘the best’, ‘divine’, ‘stunning’, ‘delicious’, and ‘beautiful’.
Following closely behind Chestnut Bakery, the croissant from Two Brothers Bakery in Warwick came in second place at the competition, while Chez Maitre was third.
The 20 finalists in the UK’s Best Croissant awards 2024:
- Chestnut Bakery, London
- Two Brothers Bakery, Warwick
- Chez Maitre, London
- Aries Bakeshouse, London
- Bakeri Baltzersen, Harrogate
- Holtwhites Bakery and Deli, Enfield
- Gourmand! Cafe, Warrington
- Qima Cafe, London
- Imma The Bakery, Stoke Row
- Forge Bakehouse, Sheffield
- The Bristol Loaf, Redfield, Bedminster, and Bristol Beacon
- Astrid’s Petite Cuisine, Cardiff
- Philippe Conticini, London
- JEJU Baked Goods, Glasgow
- The Penny Bun Bakehouse, Lowestoft
- Cafe Kitsune, Pantechnicon, London
- La Panaderia de Leo, London
- The Butterholic, Liverpool
- Corner Cottage Baker, Leamington and Kineton
- The Cookes Bake, Cwmbran
Lucas Buhler, Europe Sales Manager at Isigny Sainte-Mère, the butter company behind the awards, commented: ‘We’re delighted by the tremendous engagement in this year’s Croissant Awards. With over 12,000 votes, the competition continues to grow, celebrating excellence in croissant-making across the UK.
This tasty news comes after Lidl was recently crowned the UK’s favourite supermarket bakery, thanks to the retailer’s 59p All Butter Croissant, with 122 selling every single minute.
Other popular items from the Lidl Bakery include the Demi Baguette, Jam Filled Doughnut, and the Chocolate Hazelnut Croissant, which all sell roughly one every second.
Lidl was also praised for its ‘Special Guest’ range, which sees a new limited-edition bake land in store every fortnight. Last month customers went wild over the Chocolate Cronut – a doughnut-shaped pastry slathered in rich melty milk chocolate.
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