Greater Manchester is home to numerous bakeries but there is one that has risen above the rest when it comes to high quality sourdough bread. Having been named the best artisan bakery in the UK by The Artisan Collective for two years in a row, Lovingly Artisan has created a whole new meaning to bread winner.
An artisan bakery is where baked goods – such as sourdough, bread, buns, pastries, and cakes and more – are made by skilled bakers by hand, often utilising longer and more traditional processes. Quality of ingredients and the end products are high on the agenda, and as a result, artisan bakeries typically only have a handful of sites.
Lovingly Artisan bakery which has two North West locations – Kendal in Cumbria and Altrincham Market in Greater Manchester – produces 14 different types of sourdough, setting itself apart from other bakers in the region and country. The bakery was founded by award-winning baker Aidan Monks, who has been baking with the sourdough method long before it became trendy, and prides itself on using slow fermentation and organic British flours.
The bread at Lovingly Artisan comes in lots of different shapes and sizes with varying types of flour including tin loaves, bloomers, buns and Pain de campagne. From malted barley and Northumberland rye to ancient Emmer and Einkorn to Khorasan and Kalamata Olive sourdoughs, the bread selection is exciting, with many using heritage-grain flours (some ancient grains used even date as far back as the Romans) to create breads that Lovingly Artisan describe as “good for the tummy, good for the soil and good for the soul”.
You’ll also find plenty of flavoured breads to order including Marmite and cheese, rye berry, cheese and chilli, or spiced apple and sultana. Although the bakery is named number one in the 2024 Baker’s Dozen primarily for their bread, Lovingly Artisan also produce delicious pastries such as handmade butter croissants, pain au chocolat, cinnamon twists and pain au raisin, to name a few.
With grain always on the brain, Lovingly Artisan also has plans to take their baking business further by hopefully opening up their very own mill. You can also order their bread and pastries online here with a bread subscription service available.
📍Lovingly Artisan, Altrincham Market, Greenwood St, Altrincham, WA14 1PF | Crook Road, Kendal, LA8 8QJ.