Where the chefs eat: Ravneet Gill on the UK's tastiest bakes

Ravneet Gill is someone you can legitimately describe as an overnight success, though that doesn’t mean she didn’t work hard before careening into the public domain as a judge on Junior Bake Off. The first lockdown of 2020, thanks to the covid pandemic, left her without work, feeling utterly redundant and, for many days, “just sitting and crying in my car.” But, instead of quietly baking a loaf of sourdough here and there as so many up and down the country did, she took to Instagram to promote her newly published book and was spotted as a successor for the popular Channel 4 spin-off of The Great British Bake Off. “I had started doing online cooking forums as I had so much time on my hands, like everyone then, but it was purely for entertainment,” she says. “Someone then sent me a DM on Instagram and asked me to do an audition, but I thought it was a scam email, so I ignored it. They kept messaging me and I still wasn’t keen but finally gave in and said I’d audition. I had no idea what it was for and never thought in a million years I would get it. But I did, and it totally changed my life. I’m so very grateful for that. They took a big punt on me.”

A punt it may have been but it paid off for everyone, and Ravneet Gill can now be seen on our screens again, this time with Fred Siriex in Remarkable Places to Eat, exploring the bakeries on the island of Mallorca. “What a dream job!” Ravneet enthuses. “I’ve been to Mallorca twice but, before going, I thought it was going to be a really gimmicky, party island but it’s absolutely beautiful and not like that at all. We went to Cala Maria and Tiki Beach and also went to showcase a traditional bakery in Palma.”

But, while Ravneet may be enamoured by the Ensaimadas of the Balearics, she is a champion of British bakeries. “We’re so lucky in the UK because we have amazing dairy,” she muses, “and we have people here doing heritage grain bakes and things you’d never find anywhere else, so I really believe in supporting UK bakers. The places I’m going to mention here stand out because they use seasonal produce and local farms and that’s what makes everything in this country so incredible; it’s all on our doorstep. I had no idea about that when I was growing up because nobody spoke about it.”

Hailing from the Layton and Gant’s Hill area of East London, Ravneet admits she “didn’t know anything about food. My mum was an amazing cook, and she cooked incredible Indian food, but that was really it. It was Indian food or chicken nuggets and chips. I started baking as a teenager, just for fun, and I was so bad at it, but I went to university and started baking for everybody and did all the Marie Curie bake sales. I knew then I wanted to bake as a way of life and to earn a living.” When not working, her go-to home bake is a “big fat chocolate cake. I just sandwich it with ganache and then pour the rest all over. I’ll have it in the fridge and, for four or five days, I’ll pop a piece in the microwave so the ganache melts and I’ll have it with some cream. It’s the ultimate pick me up.” Below, Ravneet Gill shares five of her favourite bakeries across the UK for a baked pick-me-up, fit for any craving.

Landrace Bakery, Bath

“This is my dream bakery. I’d live next door if I could and I recommend it to everybody. It’s run by a friend of mine called Andrew. I met him when he sold cheese to us from Neals Yard when I was at Saint John. He is there every morning and the bread is sensational. He makes fantastic coffee and he’s transformed what was the sitting area into a shop, where you can buy things like amazing eggs from nearby farms. Andrew just really cares about what he is doing.”

Who comes here?

“It’s very local, but I’ve taken most of my friends there on a road trip, and I reckon people go out of their way to visit. I’ve been and seen Angela Hartnett sitting there reading the newspaper.”

Best time to come?

“I would definitely go for breakfast.”

Dish to order?

“Andrew makes the best cinnamon buns and cardamom buns I’ve had. They are the fluffiest I’ve ever eaten. I don’t know how he even makes them because they’re not simple but out of this world. And he does Eccles cakes, which I love, but not traditional ones, and Lardy cakes; you taste so much love in all of it. And they sell this oat milk called Float that they only sell in the southwest, which is insanely good. I’m not even an oat milk lover but it’s chocolate milk that tastes like actual oats; it’s amazing.”

Best table in the restaurant?

“Upstairs is a separate small twenty cover restaurant but you can take what you buy from the bakery and enjoy it up there. In all honesty, it’s really small, so there’s no bad table.”

Nova Bakehouse, Leeds

“This is run by Sarah Lemanski, a really cool pastry chef. She was one of the very first in the UK to start baking with Heritage Grains [those grown before the 1900s when intensive, scientific plant breeding was introduced]."

Who comes here?

“It’s got a very local feel to it but Sarah has a big following of people, so I think many customers head there especially for her.”

Best time to come?

“Any time. Though breakfast makes sense because her croissants are insane. I went the other day as I was in Leeds for just three hours and I made sure I popped in for a croissant. She makes hers with dense pastry, which makes it a meal and actually tastes good for you somehow. It’s hard to believe but she’s ruined all other croissants for me. I just don’t know how she makes them like she does.”

Dish to order?

“I’d go for any of her pies. She makes out-of-this-world pies like rhubarb and strawberry pie, and she’s known for her pie crust. She makes fantastic bread, too.”

Best table in the restaurant?

“She doesn’t have her own seating, but she works with a coffee shop next door where you can enjoy any of her stuff with their coffee.”

Pump Street Bakery, Suffolk

“I worked at Pump Street for a summer so I used to drive to Suffolk every day. They make their own chocolate from scratch and then, next door, they make their own bread and baked goods from scratch, which are then all taken down to the bakery. It’s absolutely gorgeous and you can have a lovely sausage roll or tartine or pain au chocolate made with their own chocolate batons that go inside it and a hot chocolate or a hot cross bun.”

Who comes here?

“It’s definitely a destination place that people will day trip to or make part of a weekend away, so you get people from all over the country in there. You can literally drive to the most amazing asparagus farms nearby and they have lovely trust boxes where you leave money for anything you want – that would never work in London would it?”

Best time to come?

“I’d go in the morning and try to get a spot outside on the lovely bench which sits against this baby pink wall. It’s a really nice place to just quietly watch the world go by with coffee and a pastry and start the day.”

Dish to order?

“If you go, I think you can’t miss their Eccles cakes that, I think, are the best in the country. What’s brilliant is that, if they don’t sell them, then they smash them up for a chocolate bar and sell them that way and they always sell out because they’re so delicious.”

Best table in the restaurant?

“They have a lovely long sort of communal table inside but it’s quite busy so you need to go early if you want a seat. Then I’d suggest you walk up to the nearby smokehouse and pick up some amazing smoked salmon. And then get some fresh seafood down on the coast.”

Farro Bakery, Bristol

“This is a tiny place and you could easily walk past it and not think anything of it. Elly Pear, who is a friend of mine, kept telling me to go to Bristol to do a food tour with her, so I finally went and she took me to Farro and, honestly, they have the best Portuguese custard tarts in the country. They are so hard to make, so I’m amazed by anyone that can make them well.”

Who comes here?

“Bristol is full of serious foodies and it’s very well-loved by locals but you’ll get those in the know flocking here for the baked goods, too.”

Best time to come?

“I love their homemade soft serve and I think they do it all year round, but the summer is obviously a lovely time to go and try it. Otherwise, I would recommend going for an afternoon slice of cake any time of the year.”

Dish to order?

“The soft serve they make is also the best I’ve ever had. They put in what seems like a biscuit, but it’s actually a dehydrated piece of pain au chocolat. And it’s covered in honey so it’s this crunchy honey, pain au chocolat – stuck inside soft serve.”

Best table in the restaurant?

“This is another place where you can’t sit down, but there is a little bench outside which is gorgeous if you can get a space”

Hamblin Bread, Oxford

“I first discovered this place because a great friend, Anna Higham, who is a chef, gave me their bread and it is so special. I cut it up and put it in the freezer and wouldn’t let anyone else eat it! It was a heritage grain sourdough. It was just so special and I thought it was the best I’d ever eaten; it’s not huge and puffy. It’s quite small but, honestly, just perfect.”

Who comes here?

“Everyone and anyone in the Oxford area after the best bread you can get. The grain is milled on 300-year-old stone and wine-lovers go for the excellent biodynamic wine they sell, too.”

Best time to come?

“They are only open until lunchtime and, to ensure you get what you want, I’d get there as early as you can, though you can pre-order stuff online, too, to make sure you get what you want.”

Dish to order?

“You’ve obviously got to go for the bread, but they also do amazing lardy cake and great buns as well, these sort of English buns in the style of cardamom buns that were remarkable. You can also buy cured meats and cheese, too.”

Best table in the restaurant?

“There is very minimal seating and I’ve never had anything inside there so I don’t think there really is a “best table” but I can tell you that, when you grab a loaf of warm bread from them, you’ll be lucky to get it home in one piece.”

Remarkable Places to Eat is at 9pm on Mondays on More 4, repeated at 7pm on Sundays on Channel 4 and the whole series is available to stream.