This spin-off bakery from the legendary St. John in Clerkenwell – the restaurant which instigated the nose-to-tail movement of eating when it opened around the corner from Smithfield Market in 1994 – proves that you can never have too much of a good thing: there’s already a St John bakery under the railway arches in nearby Bermondsey. Still, as the phenomenal success of Borough Market has shown, this corner of SE1 has an insatiable appetite for artisan food with an impeccable heritage.
While the baking will happen in Bermondsey, the Borough bakery will receive two daily deliveries, so you can rest assured that what you’re eating is fresh.
The bakeries are most famous for making some of London’s best doughnuts and you’ll be able to find them here on Borough High Street. St John’s new premises are set within Fora, a gigantic co-working space that also houses Nordic restaurant Borealis from Soren Jessen of 1 Lombard Street fame. The building also houses several event spaces, a premium gym and a few high-end retailers alongside the co-working spaces.
There will be more than just doughnuts on offer, though. Other baked goods include the group’s sourdough (almost as famous as the doughnuts) and pastries, while sweet treats such as viennoiserie and cinnamon rum buns are on hand for breakfast.
Unlike the other St John bakeries in Bermondsey and Neal’s Yard, the Borough site will be open all-day long and every day of the week – which means you can take advantage of St John’s carefully curated French wine list, while special wine events for Fora residents will also be held on a regular basis.
Announcing the new bakery, Fergus Henderson, St. John’s chef and co-founder, said: “Doughnuts are essential fuel in the mornings, wine is vital in the evenings. Rejoice! St John will keep Borough going all day long.”