E5 Bakehouse
ARCH 396, MENTMORE TERRACE, E8
THE best loaf in London—crusty and sour, with a deliciously moist, loose crumb—isn’t in the centre of town and doesn’t lurk behind the usual shopfront. E5 Bakehouse, the maker of Hackney Wild sourdough, sprawls beneath three railway arches a stone’s throw from London Fields, in a stretch of Hackney known for firstwave restaurant pop-ups and artisanal food stalls (Broadway Market is 10 minutes south on foot). You know you’re getting close from the queue of people and dogs down the pavement.
Founder Ben Mackinnon worked in corporate sustainability before signing up for a bread-making course in 2010, and sustainability underpins E5: the bakery is powered by renewable energy, the products are made from British wheat and the packaging is biodegradable. There’s a café attached to the bakery, where you can stay for a bowl of Bircher muesli or a sandwich. Sticking your nose in as you walk across London Fields is a pre-workday luxury. Jo Rodgers