Sourdough loaves, cakes, pastries are made with a passion by the dad-of-two
Baker Bryan Henesey pictured at Breadmill Bakery in Nottingham(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC)
A list of the 50 best bakeries in Britain, revealed by the Good Good Guide, includes two in Nottingham.
Small Food Bakery, in Seely Road, Lenton, features once again, along with newcomer to the list, Breadmill Bakery in Sneinton.
Bryan Henesey runs Breadmill on Avenue C at Sneinton Market and has ridiculously long queues at a monthly stall at The Garage in Chilwell for his sourdough loaves, panela custard tarts, rye chocolate brownies, savoury brioche and cinnamon buns.
The 41-year-old, who lives in Chilwell, said: “I’m genuinely shocked by this recognition and it means the world. I love my products, especially my bread, and I put my heart and soul into every loaf, bun and custard tart I make.
“Seeing Breadmill on this list alongside so many other amazing bakeries is just mind-blowing really. I’ve visited some of the bakeries on the list and their set-ups are much bigger than mine, so wow.
Breadmill Bakery in Sneinton (Image: Breadmill Bakery )
“I think the fact I’m a one-person operation and I’m sitting alongside some bakeries which are much bigger operations is amazing. It goes to show that if you’re passionate about something, then you can still achieve success.”
Bryan worked solidly in the run-up to Christmas to sell 600 mince pies. The pastry was rolled out by hand with just a rolling pin and the mincemeat was made from scratch.
The dad-of-two added: “The bakery will have been going for three years in April so this is an early anniversary present. I couldn’t have achieved what I have without the support of my wife and family, and my amazing customers. Thank you to each and every one of you.”
Small Food Bakery, based within a former primary school, is home to pastries, cakes, pizzas, bread, savouries and biscuits that can be taken away or eaten in with a coffee from the small on-site cafe.
Going strong for 12 years, it’s headed up by Kimberley Bell and Ania Becker.
The Good Food Guide, in partnership with Square, unveiled its 50 Best Bakeries for a second year, after its smash hit debut in 2025.
Delicious bakes at the Small Food Bakery
The list celebrates the nation’s boundary-pushing artisans who are experimenting with regionally grown, locally milled heritage grains and who are introducing an increasingly broad range of global flavours to the Saturday morning pastry run.
The list includes 22 newcomers, each of which have been scrupulously tested by the Good Food Guide’s editors. At a time when dining out in restaurants is more expensive than ever, the quality on offer at Britain’s bakeries serves as an affordable taste of luxury.
Editor of Good Food Guide, Chloë Hamilton, said: “Choosing just 50 winners was an almost impossible task given how diverse and highly skilled the British baking scene has become.
“From wood-fired sourdough in Perthshire to a central London café peddling pains au chocolat that take you straight to the streets of Paris, one thing uniting them all is sheer unadulterated deliciousness.”
Aran Bakery, Dunkeld
Arôme Bakery, Covent Garden, London – NEW ENTRY
August Bakery, Battersea, London – NEW ENTRY
Bakers Yard Bakery, Sheffield
Bandit Bakery, Aberdeen – NEW ENTRY
Beefcake Café, Glasgow
Breadmill Bakery, Nottingham – NEW ENTRY
Chatsworth Bakehouse, Crystal Palace, London – NEW ENTRY
Damsel Bakery, Crieff – NEW ENTRY
Don’t Tell Dad, Queen’s Park, London – NEW ENTRY
E5 Bakehouse, Hackney, London
Eric’s, East Dulwich, London
Farro, Bristol
Field Bakery, Bridgwater
Fred Bakery, Oxford Circus, London – NEW ENTRY
Gorse Bakery, Newquay
Grain & Hearth, Whitstable
Hamblin Bread, Oxford
Hart’s Bakery, Bristol
Haxby Bakehouse, York
Hilda Bakery, Bristol – NEW ENTRY
Imma The Bakery, Stoke Row – NEW ENTRY
Kanto, Cambridge
Landrace Bakery, Bath
Lannan Bakery, Edinburgh
Levain & Cherry, Birmingham
Little Valley Bakery, Swansea – NEW ENTRY
Long Boi’s Bakehouse, Manchester
Longstraw Bakery, Wiveliscombe
Lovingly Artisan, Kendal
Lucky Yu Bakery, Walthamstow, London – NEW ENTRY
Mabel The Bakery, Downham Market
Native Grain, Truro – NEW ENTRY
Northern Rye, Newcastle upon Tyne – NEW ENTRY
Nourish Bakery, Fishguard – NEW ENTRY
Nova Bakehouse, Leeds
Pastille Bakery, Liverpool – NEW ENTRY
Pipit Bakery, Bradford on Avon
Pollen Bakery, Manchester
Rye Bakery & Pizzeria, Frome
Small Food Bakery, Nottingham
Solo Bread, Birkenhead – NEW ENTRY
Suba Bakery, Walthamstow, London – NEW ENTRY
The Garage Bakehouse, Market Harborough
The Lost Mill Bakery, Cowes – NEW ENTRY
The Wild Loaf, Liverpool – NEW ENTRY
Toad Bakery, Camberwell, London
White Horse Bakery, Holme-next-the-Sea – NEW ENTRY
Wild Hearth Bakery, Comrie – NEW ENTRY
Wooster’s Bakery, Bury St Edmunds