The 9 best bakeries in and around Nottingham that you must try

From freshly baked bread to mouth-watering cakes, just follow your nose

Artisan bakeries are flourishing in Nottinghamshire. A rise in the small businesses means food lovers can find the most mouth-watering pastries, cakes and loaves of bread on their local high street.

The passion that goes into these lovingly-crafted bakes is palpable and best of all they are an affordable indulgence, from sourdough to patisserie.

I’ve visited a good percentage of bakeries, just following my nose as the delicious aroma of fresh baking fills the air.

There’s even more besides the ones listed here that I’ve not got round to yet and don’t even get me started on all the cake sheds operated by home bakers. Here’s what I’ve discovered so far.

Tough Mary’s Bakehouse

Where to begin? I’ve never bought a single item from the bright yellow bakery that I’ve not loved. From the signature Copenhagen pastry to the exquisite blondies, no wonder it was crowned last year’s best bakery by the Great Food Club.

Hot cross buns, Danish pastries, mince pies, jammy doughnuts… I could go on and on, a bit like my waistline.

My only sadness is that they no longer have the filled bagels that made my weekday lunchtimes much more enjoyable than a Tesco meal deal.

A cafe is attached to the bakery, with seating both inside and out, making it a perfect spot to treat yourself to a coffee and something delicious.

Location: Derby Road, Nottingham

Breadmill Bakery

Disclaimer — I’ve got a soft spot Breadmill Bakery as the owner Bryan used to be a colleague at the Nottingham Post before a career change. But that aside, he’s an incredibly talented bakery who makes some of the best sourdough you’ll ever eat.

What’s even more impressive is that he is a one-man band, not only working at his compact bakery shop at Sneinton Market but also attending The Garage markets in Chilwell, where he’s easy to spot. Just look for the longest queue.

Savoury brioche with prosciutto and cheddar, chocolate brownies, panela custard tarts and cardamom buns are amongst the specialities. Last Christmas he made 600 mince pies, all rolled out by hand and filled with homemade mincemeat.

It comes as no surprise it’s won Best Bakery in Nottinghamshire at the England Business Awards multiple times and is featured in the Good Food Guide’s 50 Best Bakeries for 2026.

Location: Sneinton Market, Avenue C, Nottingham

Small Food Bakery

This has to be the quirkiest location of all the bakeries I’ve visited. Based in a former primary school, it feels like a return to the classroom. Instead you’ll find a counter laid out with all the sweet and savoury treats, and behind are the ovens where the magic happens.

Sourdough loaves in all shapes and sizes feature the crusty Shark and the standout Radford Massive, said to weigh a whopping four kilos. A whole loaf looks like it would feed an entire street but fortunately it’s sold by weight so you can buy as much or as little as you like.

Opening just three days a week, from Thursday to Saturday, you never know what to expect when it comes to the tarts, pastries and cakes.

I love it here and decided to linger over an egg in the middle pastry with mushroom and cream cheese and a coffee in the small cafe area before leaving armed with a sourdough bread and butter pudding with lots of sultanas, and a courgette and baby leek frittata.

You can also buy locally grown fruit, vegetables and even bouquets of flowers.

Location: Seely Road, Radford

The Doughter

It began with the Dough Mother on a Beeston housing estate before an expansion into the the town centre.

The Dough Mother’s offspring, named The Doughter, is a gorgeous little Parisian-style bakery and cafe on the high street, where there always seems to be a queue.

I can vouch for the San Sebastian cheesecake, the mascarpone brownies, and the Black Forest gateau. While I’ve never had one, the green-coloured matcha blondies looked interesting.

The focaccia bread used for the sandwiches has a beautiful soft texture, finished with a flourish of olive oil, rosemary and sea salt. The only disappointment with my chicken Caesar sandwich was that the artisan bakery used processed chicken rather than chicken breast.

Location: High Road, Beeston

Sweet House Bakery

If you have a sweet tooth and crave the most indulgent, decadent cakes, you need to tune your radar to the Sweet House Bakery.

Baker Steff had the honour of making a show-stopping bespoke cake for pop princess Kylie when she visited the Motorpoint Arena.

But you don’t have to be music royalty to relish the stuffed cookies with chocolate chips, fudge pieces, Flipz pretzels and pretzel salted caramel Yorkie in the dough, finished off with salted caramel, and topped with chocolate, a pretzel, Yorkie chunk and fudge pieces before being splatted with gold. Phew!

Traybakes, cookie pie slices and cheesecakes will have you drooling. Look out for a new autumn special, a chunky white chocolate cookie filled with apple and custard and dipped in crumble topping.

As well as a shop in Colwick, the bakes are on sale at Motorpoint Arena and now The Nest for most home games after partnering with Notts County.

You’ll also find them at Planters Brookfield Garden Centre, Jacksdale Garden Centre, Mooch in Eastwood, Espresso Cafe in Chilwell and Snap and Deli-icious, both in Mapperley.

Location: Unit 16, Roma Court, Colwick Industrial Estate, Colwick

Casa Bake

I never thought I’d find a bread more divine than focaccia. But it took just one visit to Casa Bake to discover butter bread. Luscious is the only word for it.

Fresh out of the oven and still warm, it’s the most delectable rich loaf I’ve ever tasted with a soft pillowy texture and a hint of sweetness. When I returned to the office it turned my colleagues into ravaging vultures, as they ripped chunks off.

Romanian owner Daniela Bortea bakes the bread, while her mum Mariana Honceriu is in charge of the cakes, including specialities from their home country including mountain cake.

Modelled on the Carpathian Mountains, the triangular cakes comprise 10 layers of sponge, sandwiched together with caramel cream and edged in chocolate with a sprinkle of desiccated coconut to symbolise the snowy peaks. They’re delicious.

Location: Arnot Hill Road, Arnold

Coosh

A good bakery has to get the basics right and Coosh certainly delivers when it comes to the cornflake tart.

It’s a five-star bake, with a mix of crispy and sticky cereal coated with golden syrup on top of a thick layer of raspberry jam and a buttery shortbread base.

Ticking all the boxes with scones, it’s the savoury cheese and chilli version that won me over. Best served warm as it melts the cheese, it has a real ‘Mmmm’ factor with a subtle after-glow from the chilli.

While I’ve not tried them, I really like the look of the statuesque English muffins and the blackberry Bakewell tart.

Location: Breck Hill Road, Mapperley

Effy

Strictly speaking Effy is a coffee shop but the bakers who conjure up the exquisite-looking treats, which accompany the drinks, deserve a shout-out.

They’re displayed right by the till, literally begging you to buy something. It’s not a run-of-the-mill selection but unusual bakes such as as cinnamon monkey croissant, ube Basque cheesecake, brown butter biscuit pain Suisse and Kouign Amann, a sweet buttery pastry from Brittany in France.

What really wowed me on my last visit was a honey and sea salt cultured butter croissant — the tastiest croissant I’ve had in my life.

The crispy, flaky pastry elevated by the sweet and salty toppings was simply irresistible. I can’t remember when £3.80 brought me such joy.

Location: Heathcoat Street, Hockley

Birds

No bakery round-up is complete without a mention Birds. While it’s a larger-scale commercial bakery rather than an artisan bakery it’s the biggest bakery name in Nottinghamshire.

Whether you’re a cream doughnut fan or more of an elephant’s foot kind of person, no one makes cream cakes like the Derby-based family firm that’s been around for more than a century.

As well as maintaining tradition, with the likes of sausage rolls, jam tarts and doughnuts, they bring out new products to keep us on our toes, the pink elephant’s foot being one of them.

When it comes to bread, there’s no sourdough but you can buy bloomers, farmhouse, wholemeal and chia seed loaves. The sandwich rolls are a big personal favourite but you have to eat them within a day or so because there’s no chemical preservatives to extend shelf life unlike big name bakeries.