Is there any better aroma than that of freshly baked bread and pastries? Nick has a sniff.
As I took delivery of my order from Frankonia The Bread House, my neighbour removed his head from under his car’s bonnet and nose twitching said’Oooh what’s that?’
Depressed as he was with his flat battery, he cheered up when I said I’d share my delivery with him, his wife and two small girls.And what a selection there was.
All of us tucked into, distanced by the garden fence of course, almond croissants, pain au chocolate and all butter croissants.
Comments through the barrier were positive’God, I’ve missed a proper croissant,’ said one adult happily, while the girls clambered up onto the fence to beamingly wave pain au chocolat at us.
We had the almond croissants, which were divine with a cup of strong, freshly ground coffee, and then one of the butter ones, all briefly warmed in the oven.
Superb, just like being in France but without the insane prices. Or 14 day quarantine. Or the French.
Their 48 hour sourdough loaf was actually better than the ones I make, the crust did not go teeth-shatteringly hard when toasted.
The’sour’ flavour was just right; once you’ve had proper sourdough you never go back to the processed, soggy, bland stuff.
We kept the luxuriously fluffy Brioche buns back for burgers the next day, and found them not too sweet which I liked, and we had a small tea party (socially distanced) in the afternoon with the lemon drizzle cake. Not quite enough lemon, but otherwise a bit of a treat.
Rye bread can be a bit too virtuous for some, a kind of dour Eastern European self-flagellatory aspect to it. I liked Frankonia’s though, especially topped with some charcuterie and a dill pickle. The flavours all went so very well together.
The multi- grain wholemeal was also a winner, Lots and lots of seeds that made breakfast rather fun, I do like nibbling a nice seedy toasted slice lightly coated in Marmite.
There were also two enormous pretzels, I ate one and the girls next door took possession of the other with eyes as wide as saucers. They could barely get their tiny fingers around it.
Great texture, soft but chewy, and the right amount of rock salt to spike the palate.Frankonia also does rather tasty muffins, shortbread biscuits and coco butter biscuits all to the same standard.
Frankonia the Breadhouse began as a small bakery and shop in Wimbledon Village in 1998. Now it supplies the best chefs as well as places like the House of Lords, The House of Commons, The Ritz, The London Hilton Park Lane from large bespoke premises and now of course, thanks to the lockdown, you and me.
And since lockdown they have also managed to open a small shop in Surbiton
Order some treats for yourself. Much of it is freezable, so one delivery can last a week. If you can keep your hands off it.
And that aroma will fill your home with joy every time.
Minimum order £17.50, including delivery. Free delivery on orders over £30.Postcodes for delivery here
