Anna Higham, owner of Quince bakery in Islington, finds it extremely stressful when a queue forms outside her shop. She feels that, by definition, a line means she can't give her best service. According to City AM, Anna Higham described the queue outside Quince as reaching the water from the canal two blocks up on weekends. To manage this, she always does the same job no matter how long the line gets, packaging up cakes and handing them across the counter herself. She makes sure she rewards everyone who comes in with a personal interaction, thanking them for standing outside in the cold, and keeps those out on the street sated by having her staff hand out freebie palmiers to people while they wait. However, she acknowledges that for many of the capital's bakery touring elite, the absence of a queue is even more concerning.
This stress reflects a broader bakery boom driven by social media trends and changing consumer habits. Vogue has named sourdough the hottest accessory of 2026. Online videos about 'cloud' bread and ice cream cake have been watched billions of times, and this hysteria is propelling those who produce panettone and egg tarts to rock stars of the post-booze era. Fewer people are drinking, so they're looking for other ways to be hedonistic. Delicious-looking bakery content is easy to capture: all you need is a fiver and a phone to film with. Cruffins, giant donuts, 'swicy' flavours, botanical infusions and pistachio-flavoured everything have pervaded the 'gram. The bakery boom is far from London exclusive, with Farro in Bristol, Bread Source in Norfolk, and Northern Rye in Newcastle upon Tyne regularly generating huge queues and online hype.
We're two blocks up from the canal and the queue can hit the water.
Social media influencers are actively exploring and reviewing these upmarket bakeries. Moses Combe, 21, was incredulous about a TikTok video and set out on a mission to visit establishments to see what the fuss was about. According to The Guardian - Main UK, Moses Combe described his purchase at Jolene, including a hot chocolate, sausage roll and his very first tiramisu cake, as 'bloody lovely'. He has named his video series the 'Endz Department for Research', in which he reviews upmarket cafés that he wouldn't otherwise visit in his local area. Kobi Coker, a 27-year-old comedian and educator, said his videos exploring so-called 'gentrified' spaces had not initially been intentional. He would notice new, upmarket establishments opening up on his road during his cycle to work and post about trying them, noting these places 'always got a queue outside', which left him wondering what makes them so popular.
This attention raises concerns about gentrification and local impact, with mixed reactions from bakers and influencers. Anna Higham would rather the noise went away, as she doesn't much identify with the personality-driven part of her job. She says bakers lack the 'cheffy ego' common in kitchens, so they aren't so bothered by the praise, but she worries that locals will be hit hardest by her popularity, unable to simply wander down the road to pick up bread in the mornings because of viral interest drawing visitors. Kobi Coker said he has mixed feelings about gentrification. According to The Guardian - Main UK, Kobi Coker described one half of him feeling it's good to get a new influx of things and people with new ideas. However, he added that the problem with gentrification is that people that made the community what it is aren't necessarily able to participate in it. In contrast, Matthew Roberts, operations manager at Jolene, has welcomed the attention their bakeries have got. According to The Guardian - Main UK, Matthew Roberts described it as all very positive.
Bloody lovely.
They did not skimp out with that sausage, bro. That, I put my hands up, is pretty decent.
Allow me please. I'm not French, I'm from Hackney.
Absolutely sensational ... I can't think of many better sandwiches I've had in my life.
One half of me feels it's good that we're getting a new influx of things – some new people to bring new ideas.
People that made the community what it is aren't necessarily able to participate in it.
It's all very positive.