Pollen, the revered Manchester bakery, has been shortlisted for this year’s National Bakery Awards. It was named as one of the county winners for the North West, alongside the Bear Bakery in Chester, Lovingly Artisan from Cumbria (who also sell their bread at Altrincham Market), Simply Doughnuts in Blackburn and the BonBon bakery in Liverpool.
The prestigious awards will take place in London, with the county winners going into the regional heats. A winner will be announced on July 12.
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The bakery was founded in 2011 by Hannah Calvert and her partner Chris Kelly from their kitchen, before moving to a railway arch underneath the tracks of Piccadilly Station. Queues would form each weekend for their sourdough bread - proved for over 24-hours - and pastries, notably their ‘cruffins’, a cross between a croissant and a muffin.
They then moved to their first proper bakery and cafe at New Islington Marina in 2016, and then to their second cafe at Kampus last year. It now also produces bread for restaurants across the city, as well as for Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge's restaurant group.
The bakery was also listed in the top 20 in the whole of the UK in a list published in the Financial Times last month.
It noted ‘whether you want to try one of its signature staples, such as the 28-hour sourdough bread, or experiment with a cruffin, be there in good time – they often sell out’. Also listed was the Baltic Bakehouse, in Liverpool’s Baltic Quarter, and Live Love Loaf in Leek, Staffordshire.
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