Hopping South of the Pond to Toad Bakery 

Written by Anggi Pande

The bakery on Peckham Road attracting Londoners from all over the city

Somewhere amidst the noise of cars and buses on Peckham Road, between a sandwich shop and a nail salon, stands Toad Bakery. It’s not as busy as people put it out to be on this chilly Thursday morning. Today, it almost feels slow.  

But with customers breezing in and out, there is still enough traction and plenty of movement beyond the counter. A paper bag taped to the window reads: “No coffee today! Sorry xx”, which is unfortunate, but still doesn’t stop people from entering.  

Conveniently across the road to UAL’s Camberwell College of Arts, students slowly trickle in to get their morning fix of pastries. And while small, the bakery is well known among locals in the area. There are families lugging baby strollers and bicycles parked outside as people pick up a spicy no-mayo egg sandwich on their way to work. 

Neighbours clad in sherpa jackets and quirky knit hats walk from around the corner for a fresh sourdough loaf.  

As the customers ahead of us hover over the selection of pastries and sandwiches, my mind is racing on what to order. Online reviews raved about their everything bagel croissant, an eclectic swirl of cream cheese and grains topped with dill priced at £5.25. Or the apple tart, with thinly cut slices placed on a bed of custard. A fresh batch of buttery croissants is put on display, further delaying my decision.  

In the end, we pick the saffron tea cake, the rhubarb bun and the chocolate soy sauce cookie with a piping hot cup of tea.  

The bun costs £4.80 with crisp and flakey layers and deep pink rhubarb stems, and it is one of the many examples of the bakery’s diverse selection on the shelves. The stems are glossy and tasted refreshing with a sweet custard in the middle. I understood all the rave about it online in that moment, digging in for more and messily dropping flakes on my lap.  

While the cookies are round and uniform, they are packed with flavour in every bite. Pulling the dough apart revealed a chewy inside and swirls of dark chocolate making up the thin treat. There’s a sharp but pleasant wave of saltiness from the soy sauce, pairing well with the rich chocolate. The sesame seeds add an extra layer of texture and nuttiness, and despite the cacophony of flavours everything seamlessly works together.  

The saffron tea cake is a big round doughnut-like treat coated in sugar. The inside is light and soft with a rich yellow hue dotted with raisins. Priced at £4 for its hefty size, the tea cake is filling yet tastes subtle enough to want a second helping. A perfect match with a warm cup of lemon and ginger tea.  

Behind the till is Ryan, who has been working at Toad Bakery for the past two years. From ingredient prep to baking, today he is welcoming guests with a smile and striking up small conversations. He recommends the tea cake and soy sauce cookie, which is his personal favourite. “It’s the perfect amount of sweetness and saltiness from the soy sauce!” he tells me. 

While he spots students and locals on weekdays, Fridays and Saturdays are when queues form out the door. Ryan tells us there are people from all over London who travel on weekends to get a taste of their goods.  

“The top three most popular are the everything bagel croissant, saffron tea cake, and yuzu orange jaffa cake. Especially the bagel croissant, people go crazy for them.”   

Formerly known as Frog Bakery, Toad Bakery has been running for the past three years. It was founded by Rebecca Spaven and Oliver Costello, two passionate bakers with experience in cafes across London. What started as the two baking for markets then led to a fundraiser allowing them to open their own store due to high demand.  

Since then, Toad Bakery has been all the buzz on social media. Found in travel lists of cafes and sweet treats to check out in London, Toad Bakery is always praised by online content creators and journalists alike.  

“I personally don’t see it on my TikTok, but I guess everyone’s pages are different,” Ryan admits. “But a lot of customers do say they’ve been seeing it on TikTok, or they’re visiting because they saw us online.”  

He adds, “We don’t really plan anything, it’s just natural. People are enjoying our food and are making videos, and that helps us a lot.”  

When we ask about working at the bakery, Ryan’s passion is shown in the enthusiasm of his voice as he gives us a rundown. “The first bakers will come in at around 3 in the morning, and they get everything out by 8AM.” He explains, “We make bigger batches as it comes closer to the weekend.”  

“Everything is freshly made every morning, it’s amazing.”   

The bakery also connects with the local community, often inventing new dishes with other chefs or sourcing seasonal ingredients from local suppliers.  

Their newest addition to the racks of elaborate pastries is the porchetta and honey butter croissant. Ryan gestures towards the batch of glossy savoury buns, coated in honey harvested from Rooftop Project, a Southeast London-based group.  

“It’s very local, all the honey is made from bees in London which is a really fun way to do something.” Ryan says. “It’s so great to see a sweet mind creating with a more savoury-based mind and inventing new dishes. Hopefully there will be more collaborations coming up soon!”  

In some cases, internet virality could be short-lived as the hype surrounding a place or activity dies down, but Toad Bakery’s returning regulars counters that argument.   

Regardless of whether the customers are travelling from distant boroughs of London or from the next street over, Toad Bakery’s consistency to serve elaborate and tasty baked goods is what keeps them well-loved in the city.  

Toad Bakery, 44 Peckham Rd, London SE5 8PX  

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Featured image by Norma Estrada