Landrace Bakery

Since opening in central Bath in 2018, Andrew Lowkes’ independent, community-focused bakery has expanded to become a city institution. Locals are obsessed with the sourdough loaves, made with speciality grains sourced directly from local farmers and milled at the bakery’s own granite stone mill some 20 miles south, near Evercreech. And good luck with getting out without at least one cardamom bun, hazelnut praline cream bun or fennel-studded sausage roll. While it never stops being a bakery, Landrace is also a treasured all-day resource – operating as a ground-floor daytime café (the coffee is excellent), while the space above is home to the excellent GFG-rated restaurant Upstairs at Landrace, headed by chef Rob Sachdev.

‘The atmosphere makes you feel special as soon as you walk upstairs’, notes a fan of this charmingly relaxed small-plates bistro above Bath’s deservedly popular Landrace community bakery (famous for milling its Somerset grains in-house). Stone walls adorned with framed posters, high shelves lined with empty wine bottles and scruffy wood floors create a cool, rustic feel that’s matched by the kitchen’s equally rustic flavours. Chef Rob Sachdev’s passion for local sourcing is evident throughout the menu, and sharing is the name of the game, whether you’re into small plates or full-on main courses. Duck mortadella or pot-caught octopus with tomato and bread salad might be one way to start, or you can go big with a winning plate of pasta such as fettuccine with ragù di cortile. Otherwise, get satisfaction from a summery serving of Gotheleny pork with broad beans à la plancha. Desserts, meanwhile, are a great advert for the bakery's patisserie skills, as in pistachio and mascarpone mille-feuille. An adventurous list of natural and biodynamic wines offers a chance to be pleasantly surprised by something new.