When you first arrive in a new city, what’s the first place you need to find? For most of us, it has to be the very best local bakery.

If you’re new to Bath and visiting soon, one of the top places on your list to check out has to be the Thoughtful Bread Company.  Situated right next to Queen Square in the heart of the city, this is a well-established bakery, café and bakery school all in the one Barton Street premises. The café is cute and cosy, and of course it smells simply incredible as the award-winning bread comes out of the oven.  

The Thoughtful Bakery is proud to be an independent artisan producer of quality bread, and there is always a tempting selection of loaves and baguettes for sale inside. The bread is reasonably priced too, so you can always pop in and pick up a loaf for later.

One of Bath’s best breakfast spots

Not only does the Thoughtful Bakery make incredible bread, but it’s also a top spot to visit for incredible coffee and delicious breakfasts. In fact, some would argue that it sells the best croissant Bath has to offer, but feel free to find that out for yourself and let us know!

The Thoughtful Bread Company menu also features a selection of brilliant sandwiches. Choices range from a Reuben pastrami sandwich to a classic Croque Monsieur, all made of course with the bakery’s own bread. The business prides itself on making as many of its own goods as possible, which means that many of the jams, pickles and preserves are made in-house from locally sourced or foraged ingredients.

Afternoon tea at the Thoughtful Bakery

So, you now know that The Thoughtful Bread company is great at coffee, breakfast, lunch and of course, bread. But it’s also famous citywide for its mouth-watering cakes! You can sample some of the very best at afternoon or cream team, complete with a classic Bath bun, patisserie, pot of tea and lots more.

Learn to bake!

The final string to the Thoughtful Bakery’s bow is a first-class baking school, situated on the Barton Street premises. If you’ve ever fancied learning to bake your own bread, you can join in with Introduction to Bread Baking, The Holy Grail: Sourdough Baking and many other courses led by business owner and head baker Duncan Glendinning, with a new range of patisserie sessions to be added soon. All are very reasonably priced at around £160 for a full day, 8-hour course.

Want to stay next door?

One of the very best things about The Thoughtful Bakery is that it is right next door to one of Bath Holiday Rentals’ most sought-after holiday properties – the charming Queen’s View.

Why is it so popular? In part, because of the amazing aroma of baking bread wafting through the window! Queen’s View is also conveniently central, spacious, bright and open plan, sleeping two people and offering brilliant views of the surrounding area.