Cumbria and Manchester’s Lovingly Artisan Bakery has once again been named among the UK’s top bakeries in The Good Food Guide’s annual Top 50 Bakeries list.

First introduced in 2025, the list showcases the very best artisan bakeries in Britain, handpicked by The Good Food Guide’s expert judges from among the country’s finest producers of bread, pastries and baked goods.

Celebrating Britain’s modern baking boom, the judges have travelled hundreds of miles across the UK in search of exceptional craftsmanship, from perfectly laminated pastries and the flakiest croissants to deeply flavoured, slow-fermented loaves, to curate the definitive list of the UK’s Best Bakeries for 2026.

Northwest England is represented by just six bakeries, with Lovingly Artisan Bakery among this select group. The bakery has also been recognised as a ‘Local Gem’ alongside its inclusion in the guide. A further four bakeries from the Northeast and Yorkshire bring the North’s total representation to ten.

This year’s list features 22 new entries, spanning everything from wood-fired sourdough in Perthshire to precise Japanese-French patisserie in central London. Influences range from West African flavours to Cantonese traditions, alongside a strong focus on heritage grains. The skill on show rivals the very best restaurant kitchens, yet remains accessible and joyfully rooted in everyday food.

For over 70 years, The Good Food Guide has been a trusted authority on where to eat across Great Britain. Entirely independent, it combines reader feedback with anonymous inspections by a long-standing team of experts who travel the country, dining as customers and paying their own way before reporting on their experiences. Each listing is judged on quality, warmth, originality and how strongly it would be recommended to others.

Aidan Monks and Catherine Connor, owners of Lovingly Artisan Bakery, said: “Being included in The Good Food Guide’s Top 50 for a second year is a real honour for our whole team. To be recognised alongside so many outstanding bakeries across the UK, and as specialists in sourdough, means a great deal, particularly given the care, time and skill that goes into every loaf we make.

“Like our peers across the country, we’re passionate about putting truly good bread back at the heart of the table, simple, nourishing food made with integrity and meant to be shared.”