Bridge Baker, a bakery in Fulham, has been awarded a 2-star Great Taste Award for its pain au chocolat, bringing its total number of awards to eight. The judges praised the pastry for its 'excellent lamination and rich buttery flavour with clotted cream notes', describing it as 'wonderfully light and fluffy' and simply 'impressive'.
Award-Winning Pastry and Other Accolades
The bakery also received a 1-star award for its galette des rois and another 1-star for its cranberry shortbread. These latest recognitions add to Bridge Baker's growing collection of Great Taste Awards, which now totals eight.
In response to the awards, the Bridge Baker team said: 'We’re absolutely thrilled with these results. Receiving a 2-star award for our pain au chocolat is especially rewarding. Laminated pastry is one of the most technically challenging products to produce, and this recognition reflects the incredible skill, dedication and care of our pastry team.'
Bridge Baker's Expansion and Philosophy
Bridge Baker operates three branches in the capital. The first opened on Wandsworth Bridge Road in 2017, followed by a second on Fulham Road in 2023, and a third in Olympia in 2025. The bakery focuses on creating its own products on site.
Founder Gauri Nafrey, a former banker, explained her motivation to the Real Bread Campaign: 'I started the business as I loved the idea of a local, neighbourhood bakery. I have no professional baking qualifications but had been making my own sourdough and other bread for more than 15 years before I started Bridge Baker. As an ex-banker, I was able to use my management and financial skills to set up a business that would be viable.'
She added: 'That’s part of the reason that we make such a large range of products on site. In a place like London, it’s very hard for a business to survive by focusing on just a few products, unless it’s in a location where it can rely on plenty of passing customers and a high volume of sales.'
Great Taste Awards Background
The Great Taste Awards were launched by the Guild of Fine Food in 1994. According to the organisation's website, the rating system is as follows: 3-star is 'Exquisite: Extraordinarily tasty foods' – less than 2 percent of products receive this each year; 2-star is 'Outstanding: Above and beyond delicious' – about 10 percent of entries receive this; 1-star is 'Simply Delicious: A food that delivers fantastic flavour' – approximately 28 percent of entries achieve this rating annually.
Bridge Baker is located at 811 Fulham Road, SW6 5HG. The bakery's success highlights the growing reputation of London's artisanal baking scene, with this latest award cementing its status among the city's top bakeries.
