Chef Thomas
Devonshire Splits
Soft, pale yeasted buns split open and filled with thick clotted cream and good jam, the older and quieter cousin of the cream tea scone, and the one Devon got right first.
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Chef Thomas
Malt Loaf
A dark, sticky loaf of malted treacle and tea-soaked fruit, the kind that improves with patience and tastes of every cold afternoon you've ever wanted to fall into.
Chef Thomas
Granary Loaf
A malted brown loaf with a deep crust and a sweet, nutty crumb, the kind of bread that turns a quiet afternoon into something worth being home for.
Chef Thomas
Soft White Baps
Pillowy, flour-dusted white baps with no crust worth the name, made for the kind of Saturday morning that calls for bacon, brown sauce, and not much conversation.
Chef Thomas
Cornish Saffron Bread
A buttery, golden Easter loaf scented with saffron and packed with currants, the kind of bread that turns a Sunday afternoon into something worth marking.
Chef Thomas
A Proper White Tin Loaf
A simple white loaf made from flour, water, yeast, and salt. The kind of bread that fills the kitchen with the smell of a Saturday morning and teaches you, slowly, everything you need to know about baking.
Chef Thomas
Soda Farls
Four floury quarters of soft soda bread cooked on a dry griddle until the crust goes the colour of a brown paper bag, torn open while still warm and spread thickly with cold butter.
Chef Thomas
Cottage Loaf
A loaf of two halves, the smaller perched on top of the larger and held there with a finger pressed through the middle, baked until the crust is deep gold and the kitchen smells like Saturday morning.
Chef Thomas
Hot Cross Buns
Spiced, fruited buns marked with a cross and pulled from the oven on Good Friday morning, split warm, smeared with cold butter, and eaten with strong tea while the kitchen still smells of cinnamon and orange peel.
Chef Thomas
Yorkshire Teacakes
A batch of soft, lightly spiced fruited buns made for the ritual of splitting and toasting on a grey afternoon, when the kettle's on and there's nowhere you need to be.
Chef Thomas
Bath Buns
Rich, butter-laden Georgian buns from Bath, glazed deep gold and crowned with crushed sugar nibs that crack beneath your teeth, the kind of bake that turns a Sunday afternoon into something deliberate.
Chef Thomas
Soda Bread
A four-ingredient loaf scored with a deep cross and baked hot, ready in under an hour, the kind of bread you tear into while the crust still crackles and the butter melts on contact.
Chef Thomas
A Bloomer
A proper British bloomer, slashed deep and baked until the cuts open wide and the crust turns deep, glossy gold. The kind of loaf that makes the rest of the day feel deliberate.
Chef Thomas
Chelsea Buns
Soft, spiralled buns full of spiced sugar and currants, glazed sticky while still warm from the oven. The kind of baking that turns a wet Sunday into something worth getting out of bed for.
Chef Thomas
Crumpets
Homemade crumpets with a soft, spongy crumb and a top full of small holes ready to drink in melted butter, the kind of thing to make on a slow Sunday and toast all week.
Chef Thomas
Lardy Cake
A proper West Country lardy cake, layered with lard, sugar and currants, folded like rough puff and baked until the bottom turns into a sheet of dark caramel. Harvest in a tin.
Chef Thomas
Bara Brith
A dark, fruit-heavy Welsh tea loaf, soaked overnight in strong tea and baked slowly until the kitchen smells of spice and orange peel. Sliced thick and buttered cold.
Chef Thomas
English Muffins
A batch of proper English muffins, cooked slowly on a dry griddle, dusted in semolina and split with a fork so the ragged edges have somewhere to hold all that melted butter.
Chef Thomas
Wholemeal Bread
A proper wholemeal loaf with a deep crust and a dense, nutty crumb, the kind of bread that turns a Tuesday lunch into something worth sitting down for.
Chef Thomas
Selkirk Bannock
A buttery, sultana-studded Scottish bread baked low and round, glossy on top and tender within, made for the quiet hour between afternoon and evening when the kettle goes on and nothing much is asked of you.
Chef Thomas
Scottish Bannocks
An old Highland griddle bread of oats and salt, cooked dry on a hot pan until the edges curl and the underside speckles. Dense, honest, and made to be torn warm with butter.
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