Ever heard the saying ‘no carbs before Marbs’? Well, as most summer holidays to Marbs (or similar) don’t seem likely this year, that means we can go full pelt on the carbs, right?
Based in Surbiton, Frankonia The Bread House is a bakery which, pre-pandemic, was wholesale only.
That meant that the only people lucky enough to sample its selection of artisan breads, croissants, muffins and other baked goods were the guests of the bakery’s wholesale customers, which included none other than The House of Lords, The House of Commons, The Ritz, The London Hilton Park Lane and a raft of other high-end hotels and restaurants throughout London and the UK.
But, like many businesses, since the pandemic Frankonia has diversified and so, much to my delight, the bakery has recently started delivering directly to the likes of you and me. Hurrah!
Birgit Gunz originally established her small bakery and shop in Wimbledon back in 1998, relocating to Surbiton a few years later after orders from the country’s premier addresses started to flood in.
“When the hospitality industry effectively ‘stopped’ in March my business fell apart, literally! We suddenly had no customers” says Gunz.
“My bakery operates 365 days a year and with over 20 years’ experience I was proud to have a loyal, talented team, many of whom I didn’t want to lay off or furlough, so we started with a small takeaway shop at the bakery, but word soon spread, and we are now really busy with requests to deliver…”
My Frankonia order arrived first thing on a Saturday morning and it was almost dreamlike.
Having only just woken up, I stumbled to the front door and discovered a large cardboard box on the doorstep, filled with picture-perfect loaves of bread, squishy muffins, giant pretzels, flaky pastries and more. Was I dreaming?
Thankfully this was in fact reality, and the eating commenced within minutes. The freshly baked pastries (plain and almond croissants and pain au chocs too, made using French butter and dark Belgian chocolate) were soft inside, flaky on the outside and wonderfully buttery, and slipped down a treat with a cup of coffee.
My mid-morning slump was quickly and deliciously tackled with an apple crumble muffin – wonderfully moist and spongey with fresh, sweet apple flavour, a hint of cinnamon and a lovely buttery crunch.
Next up was the turn of the breads; pre-dinner we shared a couple of salty, soft and slightly chewy (as they should be) authentic German giant pretzels, torn up and devoured with a glass of wine, and then the fabulous (and dangerously moreish…) olive and rosemary loaf was sliced and dunked into olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
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The deliciousness carried on well into Sunday too; the beautiful, slowly fermented sourdough, which takes two days to make, was presented to the breakfast table like a roast on a Sunday; it was thickly sliced and made fabulous toast.
Then, the rich, malty rye bread, made with German rye flour, provided the perfect base for smoked salmon and scrambled eggs.
Later that day the barbecue was lit and Frankonia’s brioche buns were the best I’ve tried and elevated our favourite burgers up to the next level in terms of tastiness. A solitary chocolate muffin – moist, dense and filled with dark, quality chocolate - was devoured with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for pudding.
All this and even now we still have a multigrain wholemeal loaf in the freezer; made with sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds, it makes the most wonderful toast and cheese sandwiches. Talk about the gift that keeps on giving…
As well as all the wonderful breads and pastries, the box also provided a delicious, well-balanced lemon drizzle loaf, covered in sweet, frosted icing, and some of the most delicious, melt-in-the-mouth cocoa butter biscuits I’ve ever had the pleasure of trying.
Nearly all of Frankonia’s delicious creations freeze well, so if you fancy one of their larger selection boxes then you can be safe in the knowledge that there will be no waste, and it will keep you going for a while (unless you’re greedy, like me).
Having said that, all items can be ordered individually, so if you simply fancy some fabulous pastries for the weekend, a loaf or two of fresh bread, a cake to share with friends and perhaps a cheeky packet of biscuits to keep you going whilst working from home, that’s an option too.
Marbs vs Frankonia’s carbs? I know which I prefer.
Check your postcode here to see if they deliver to you.
Minimum order £17.50 including delivery, free delivery on all orders over £30. frankonia.co.uk
