Claridge’s Bakery

A counter built on sourdough and nostalgia

Bread comes first at Claridge's Bakery, and specifically Richard Hart's Country Loaf, the sourdough that anchors everything else on the counter. The bakery opened on 21 January 2026 as the hotel's first, led by Hart as executive baker and creative director after a career that took in San Francisco, Copenhagen and Mexico City. He grew up in London, and the menu leans into the British shops he remembers: finger rolls, iced buns, Belgian buns, Bakewell tarts and Jammy Dodger references, made with the technique and the sourcing the address implies. Alongside the loaves are baked bloomers, Marmite cheese straws, Hampshire pork scotch eggs, sausage rolls, sandwiches and quiches. La Liste gave it a pastry and bakery innovation award in 2026, and it appeared in the World's 50 Best editorial bakery selection the same year.

Buttery tiles, maple and bakers in view

The room is part of the argument rather than a backdrop. John Pawson designed a working bakery in buttery yellow ceramic tile with timber detailing and a counter arranged around the bakes themselves. It sits on Brook's Mews in Mayfair, set apart from the hotel's grander public rooms, which makes the experience smaller, quieter and more direct than the name might suggest. An open kitchen and a central bakers' table keep the work visible, so rolling, kneading and dusting are part of what you watch while you queue. The design was adapted to the functional needs of baking rather than imposed on it, and the result matches Hart's emphasis on the ritual of good bread while keeping the polish the hotel expects.

Order the loaf, then something salty

Take the Country Loaf first. It is the bread most closely attached to Hart and the clearest expression of the sourdough background he built his reputation on. Then go salty: flaky Marmite cheese straws, jammy Hampshire pork scotch eggs and the sausage rolls are the key savoury names, with sandwiches and quiches filling out the more substantial end of the counter. For sweets, the nostalgic list runs through Belgian buns, Bakewell tarts, malt loaf and French fancies, and the golden laminated lardy cake is the standout, sticky and sweet in the classic British register. Drinks are simple accompaniments rather than a programme of their own, with coffee, soft drinks and the bakery's own tea.