One of the goals I have with this blog is to share about little treasures found in travel, ‘Thriving with food allergies in Luxembourg and beyond‘. I haven’t been able to travel much lately with my school load so after hearing the rave reviews of this bakery I thought I’d let someone else share this time. I’d like to introduce my daughter Amy who recently returned from visiting London. She is also gluten free and always on the lookout for new places too. She has her own blog, The Freckled Perspective, sharing life experiences so be sure to check it out (after you read about her experience here of course.)

Hi friends, Amy here and I’m excited to share with you about my recent food experience in London.

For about a year now, I have tried to maintain a gluten free and (mostly) dairy free diet, which, as a lover of food, is hard enough to do; that’s not taking into consideration the difficulty faced when travelling. All the sights and smells of restaurants, bakeries, cafés, etc. are almost too much to bear when I’m in a new city. However, with my recent visit to London I decided to follow up on some trends I’d been hearing about with gluten free foods being increasingly more accessible.

I was so excited when my initial Google search revealed a handful of locations throughout Soho, Covent Garden and Islington – all within reach of my hotel. I’d like to share about the most exciting eatery I tried this visit. Nestled in among a hodgepodge of healthy eateries in Fitzrovia (near Soho), Beyond Bread Bakery is an entirely gluten free café offering a wide selection of sweet and savoury delights.

I arrived too late for the brunch hour of pancakes and eggs but I still had a nice variety of scones, muffins and small cakes to choose from. Since I had eaten not long before this I opted for a simple scone and jam. This alone far exceeded my expectations! It was a nice mix of flaky, dry and slightly buttery as a scone should be. The scone came lightly toasted with a mildly sweet jam and cold butter. I would have liked some clotted cream but I made do with the butter and jam since clotted cream wasn’t on the menu. The scone was the best gluten free scone I’ve ever had (besides my own, that is).

Since it was nearing lunchtime, I could have chosen a sandwich on delicious-looking baguette or sourdough bread (all gluten free!). Lucky for me my travel companion had “The Bad Hunter” sandwich so I was able to taste it and it was heavenly! It had a blend of roasted vegetables with an essence of basil pesto and a light touch of mozzarella all rolled into a fluffy baguette –perfection!

I loved seeing all the sandwich varieties. The entire window display of hot and cold options made my mouth water! If I had more time I would have tried their quiche and possibly the ‘For Goat’s Sake’ sandwich. Mmmm, as I’m writing this my mouth is watering all over again! I really liked that Beyond Bread Bakery had an option to buy a fresh-made gluten free baguette or loaf of bread for take away. I saw a mix of white, sourdough, pumpernickel and baguettes and I’m sure I’m forgetting a few.

A visit to Beyond Bread Bakery won’t break the bank, either. The sweet pastries cost less than 5 quid (my scone was less than 3), with a sandwich averaging between 4-6 quid. The servings are nicely portioned, the ingredients fresh and the staff quite friendly and helpful. It was suggested to call ahead for specific items since things sell off quickly. My only extra tip would be to not count on having a public toilet at this café!

If you are coming from the Central line, it’s about a 10 minute walk north, however Goodge Street on the Piccadilly line is the easiest access, just 2-3 minutes up the road. Don’t make the mistake I did, with confusing Charlotte Road and the actual location of the bakery on Charlotte Place. There is also a second shop further out in Islington, however I’ve yet to visit it myself.

I hope you enjoy your visit to this cozy little London eatery as much as I did! I can’t wait to make it back there again someday.