Claridge’s Hotel opens a bakery with a modern British twist

Claridge’s newly opened bakery in Brook’s Mews, which runs behind the main hotel entrance, features an open workspace with a state-of-the-art rotating oven that resembles a glass portal from a science-fiction movie. “I just stand in it and I’m gone, teleported away,” jokes executive baker and creative director, Richard Hart, the award-winning author and chef who has shaken up the artisanal bread scene with his distinctive sourdough.

A true man-on-the-move, he’s written an award-winning book on the subject and has channeled his entrepreneurial energy into ventures across the globe. In 2018, Hart opened Hart Bageri in Copenhagen, which he co-founded with René Redzepi of Noma fame, and also began discussions with Claridge’s. He can now add this bijou bakery to his portfolio, alongside Green Rhino in Mexico City, which he launched in June 2025.

It’s true that in spirit at least, Hart is travelling back in time with his menu of delectable baked goods for this new London venture, inspired by the British classics of his youth – cherry bakewells, iced finger buns, lardy bread, sausage rolls, and Scotch eggs — reinvented with imaginative flair and a delicate balance of flavours.

“I have such fond memories of childhood summers at my grandparents’ in Clacton. We’d wander down to the bakery, and the smell of warm bread would fill the air, it was absolutely magical,” says the baker who rose to prominence in the early 2000s while working at the famous Tartine Bakery in San Francisco.

For Claridge’s Bakery, Hart has even created his own version of a milk chocolate walnut whip and a trio of fondant fancies inspired by the familiar look of Mr Kipling’s square sponge bites. Their shape is where comparisons end: these are light and creamy, infused with yuzu, fresh raspberries, or Belgian chocolate.

In a city now teeming with luxury patisseries and bakeries, Claridge’s is far from the only five-star hotel inveigling customers with unique, Instagram-worthy creations crafted with traditional savoir-faire. Nicolas Rouzaud at The Connaught on Mount Street runs a pink-themed patisserie renowned for its sculptural cakes, including a signature hound-shaped chocolate mousse. At The Berkeley, French talent Cédric Grolet has fully embraced the chef’s counter concept, where pastry chefs can be observed creating all manner of artistic trompe-l’œil confections, turning dessert into theatre.

“Many of the big pâtissiers have come to London, and their work is amazing to watch, but baking bread, for me, is especially fascinating to see. When you look at dough rising in the oven, it’s a beautiful thing, but more than that, it strikes you as something important and good for the soul,” says Hart.

On the topic of his much-celebrated long-fermented bread, the baker has incorporated sourdough into every loaf, even the French stick – the name he’s using instead of ‘baguette’. “The wheat is sourced exclusively from a speciality mill in the Marche region of Italy that sits between land and sea, lending this ingredient “a very special taste and character,” he explains.

“I feel like a lot of modern bakeries today make very similar stuff, regardless of where they are in the world. I wanted to come to Claridge’s and make something that was ‘of place’. What’s happened to Bloomers? What’s happened to freshly made granary loaves? These breads are now sadly synonymous with the factory-made sort, but with the knowledge we have today, let’s make them beautifully, with the highest quality ingredients and over a long fermentation.”

Indeed, this elevated and decadent take on beloved bakery favourites aligns well with the hotel’s own brand of nostalgic glamour, defined by its iconic Art Deco interiors that quietly evoke a bygone era when glamorous film stars, high society figures, and European royals gathered for afternoon tea, late-night revelry, and perfectly mixed cocktails.

And while the gleaming stainless-steel kitchen equipment and futuristic oven firmly establish a sense of fresh innovation, it’s easy to imagine some of Claridge’s historic guests happily indulging in these reinvented delights too.

Katharine Hepburn, who was famously refused access to the hotel in 1951 for wearing trousers and who gained entry via the service entrance instead, would surely bag herself a French stick and zoom off on one of the many Lime bikes stationed outside in the mews. Or perhaps she’d opt for Hart’s bacon butty served in a warm, crusty roll. “They really are out of this world good,” says Hart. “I reckon there’ll be long morning queues for them.”

Claridge's Bakery, Brook's Mews, London, W1