London: Pretty in Pink Bakeries

My top five picks to visit while in London.

This city I tell you…every single time I visit, I fall more madly in love. I used to live in London ten years ago and have visited a couple times since. Each time I pay a visit, I notice how “on trend” this city is, always stepping up its game. Between the fashion, restaurants, architecture and culture, London might just really be the center of the world. But let’s not sleep on the bakeries, my loves. There are so many delectable treats on nearly every corner of these cobblestone streets, it can be hard to choose which patisserie to visit first!

On this last trip to London, I visited five different bakeries that have been trending lately to see what all the hype was about, each offering up their own unique take on what I like to call “boujee dessert”. One thing they all had in common: PINK! They all incorporated the color pink in some way. Pink treats, pink walls, pink décor…everything was so pretty you might say it was too pretty to eat (don’t worry, that didn’t stop us!). So, if you ever find yourself in London one of these days, here are my top bakery picks I think are worth stopping by and indulging in.

Let’s dig in!

First up: Maître Choux

This sweet little treasure is serving up designer eclairs fit for the Queen herself. “Choux” (pronounced like “shoe”) is a delicate pastry dough used in many European cuisines, namely French baking. According to their website, Maître Choux is the first and only choux pastry specialist patisserie in the world. With five locations across London, they pride themselves on being a modern version of a classic French patisserie. We visited the one in South Kensington, but they also have shops in other popular areas of the city such as Soho & Chelsea.

The South Kensington location is super sweet. The storefront is playful and inviting. The interior neutral, French-inspired; the shop is very aesthetically pleasing and definitely allows for the choux to do the talking. The staff was just as lovely as the treats themselves, which was so refreshing coming straight off our seven-hour flight!

There’s quite an array of eclairs, choux and chouquette to choose from. They regularly update their selection to accommodate for seasonal ingredients. When we visited this past Winter, they had flavor combinations including Turkish hazelnut & almond praline, saffron rose, Persian pistachio and Tahitian vanilla & pecan, to name a few.

After much debating, we went with the Spanish raspberry cream eclair and the gold covered hazelnut and milk chocolate eclair. Both light and delicate, yet so full of flavor! I honestly wish we could’ve tried them all. The staff was nice enough to let us try a few chouquette, which are mini hollow types of choux pastry sprinkled with sugar. They are light and would be delightful with some butter and jam, or even salted caramel!

I highly recommend popping into a Maître Choux location if you ever get the chance. Even just to do a little window shopping, although I’m willing to bet you won’t be able to contain yourself. You won’t be disappointed.

For more info, visit www.maitrechoux.com

Next up: Peggy Porschen

This bakery is quite literally picture perfect. With two locations, one in Chelsea and the other in Belgravia, Peggy Porschen serves up the sweetest seasonal treats, namely cakes and cupcakes.

One thing that makes Peggy Porschen so special is every season they switch up the entrance design to their beautiful pink bakeries. When we visited, they had the most adorable white polar bear adornment wearing a pink scarf, hanging amongst flocked winter foliage, snowflakes and twinkle lights. Previous designs have included garlands full of big blooms and rich foliage in a variety of shapes and sizes. It really is a sight to behold!

We went with a slice of the Bailey’s chocolate cake, a chocolate peppermint cupcake and gingerbread cupcake, and paired them with an earl gray and orange tea, and a vanilla rooibos tea to drink. The Bailey’s chocolate cake was definitely the winner of the three we tried. Great flavor and texture. They really played up the “Winter Wonderland” theme with embellishments including shimmery sugar snowflakes, a mini gingerbread man with a sweet little bow tie, and a variety of glimmering sugar sprinkles in a beautiful pastel palette, all served on pink dishware. It doesn’t get much sweeter than that!

For more information: visit www.peggyporschen.com

Next: Saint Aymes

I’ve been inspired by Saint Aymes’ chocolate work for quite some time, so this was a must visit on my list. And let me tell you, it lives up to the hype! We visited the location within the House of Fraser (they also have a location that just opened up on Connaught St.), and it was just so beautifully appointed: pink everything, complete with a floral garland and flower wall.

We decided on a classic vanilla cupcake, which let’s be real, isn’t going out of style any time soon. They “prettied” it up with a lovely, pink rosette buttercream design on top, and the texture and flavor were so on-point. Might have been the best cupcake we tasted the entire trip. We also indulged in a hazelnut and chocolate mousse, which made for a winning combination. Think “Ferrero Rocher” in mousse form.

The chocolate bars are not only gorgeous with accents like gold leaf and edible floral elements, but they were simply scrumptious. We tried the cookies and cream, and it was a decadent as it looked. Saint Aymes is a must-visit in my book!

To learn more, visit www.saintaymes.com

Next: High Tea at EL&N London

We couldn’t possibly have visited London without at least indulging once in the classic British tradition known as high tea. For those of you who are unfamiliar, the “high tea” they serve at EL&N is actually more similar what is known as “afternoon tea”, which is a social tradition of gathering for tea (or coffee nowadays), sandwiches, scones and mini cakes. It is intended to fill the long gap between lunch and dinner.

We made reservations at EL&N in Belgravia (there are several other locations, but this one is where they specifically serve high tea). If you’ve never experienced high tea, this is the place to do it.

They sat us in this little cove, complete with the most gorgeous flower wall and a neon sign that said “I love you a latte” (seriously, could they be any cuter?) Naturally, I had to order a latte, and they served us the cutest little tea sandwiches, a variety of chocolates, pastries such as scones with orange marmalade and whipped butter, and rose macarons, and other sweets on a beautiful, tiered platter. The mix of savory and sweet really hit the spot. I was definitely inspired by this visit for sure.

But the real show stopper was the chocolate lipstick (literally a piece of chocolate in a lipstick tube, shaped just like lipstick) and the truffles shaped like mini purses. Seriously so adorable and made for such a sweet little start to our day! Make sure you block off plenty of time to relax and enjoy yourself here. Highly recommend!

Oh! And we also couldn’t resist trying a slice of their red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting because, and I’m not ashamed to admit, it was just too damn pretty to pass on! I mean come on with this slice of cake!

To learn more (or to book your high tea reservation): visit www.elnlondon.co.uk

Last, but certainly not least: Feya Café

So we hit up Feya Café for brunch, but let me just start by saying it was so sweet and lovely, (a big, beautiful cherry blossom tree sits pretty in the center of this café), I had to include it in our list of favorite bakeries.

They also had an incredible selection of gourmet treats to choose from, so it totally counts.

We ordered the “happiness pancakes,” which I think we can all see why they are so lovingly named as such.

Dollops of pink whipped cream, fresh berries, flower-shaped bananas, shredded coconut, sliced almonds, violas, maple syrup, Nutella drizzle (you can choose from pistachio, peanut butter or Nutella) on delicious pancakes. It was heaven in breakfast form. They also offer these in a gluten free option!

Since we were on the hunt for baked goods, we chose the giant macaron with fresh raspberries along the edge and a custard center. I loved the different take on this classic dessert. It was just as lovely as it looked.

Feya Café is a must for brunch. But be sure to leave room for dessert!

For more information: visit www.feya.co.uk

Bonus: Linnaean

If you have the time, I highly suggest visiting Linnaean. It’s not a bakery, it’s a café/restaurant, spa & apothecary, but it’s well worth the visit. And it’s just too gorgeous not to share.

When you need a break from all the sweets, Linnaean is worth the trek to nourish your mind, body and soul. Their menu is plant-rich to accommodate a variety of dietary preferences including vegan, flexitarian, gluten-free and dairy-free, and they source their ingredients both locally and globally to ensure the freshest taste and healthiest benefits. This avocado toast, served with olive tapenade, fennel pickles, hemp seeds and mint dressing on an activated charcoal sourdough (great for gut health!), paired with a sweet prosecco, was as delicious as it was beautiful.

Visit www.linnaean.co.uk to learn more about their specialty ingredients, spa and salon services.

So there you have it ladies & gents, my favorite places to score the sweetest treats in one of my favorite cities in the world <3.

Here’s to happy taste buds & safe travels, my sweets!

Xo,

Marisa

As always, all opinions are my own 🙂