I am a big fan of St John Bread and Wine. I love the casual atmosphere and the serious attention to produce and quality of product at this offshoot of St John in Smithfield.
Bread and Wine is located in Spitalfield (East London) and is on my regular rotation of restaurants I frequent. They never fail to bring what is in season and best about UK terroir to the table.
But my reason for writing about them today is not the well hung game, or their unbelievably delicious vegetables and salads, or even the interesting cuts or breeds of meat they regularly put on the menu. It's the bakery. I'll often stop by to pick up a loaf of sourdough or perhaps an eccles cake with lancashire cheese and a seed cake to take home and enjoy. They also usually have various other baked goods and yesterday I saw, for the first time, custard cream donuts. I should have taken a picture of it because one glance at the sugar coated puff ball with custard oozing out the side screamed luscious. But it didn't even make it home. Mr M and I devoured it in the car.
The donut itself is perfect, not too dense but definitely substantial. And the cream is rather heavenly. Pale yellow, generously flecked with vanilla, thick and absolutely lovely. Together, the combination is extraordinary. What every custard cream donut wishes it could be.
I can't promise you that they'll have baked more today... but you can take a chance if you are anywhere near East London. Even if they don't have these scrumptious donuts, they always have other goodies to choose from. Just walk up to the window in the back of the dining room and choose from the selection they have laid out. I think, not knowing what freshly baked surprise might be waiting for you is half the fun. I just can't be responsible if stopping at this place becomes as much a habit for you as it is for me.
St John Bread and Wine 94-96 Commercial Street London, +44 (0) 20 7251 0848