I tried the seaside bakery with queues out the door and fell in love after one bite
Popty'r Dref Barmouth is a little sister bakery of the one in Dolgellau, which was crowned as one of the worlds finest, following La Liste's 2024 Pastry Awards. Following its success, they opened this much smaller bakery on Jubilee Road in the bustling town of Barmouth.
The seaside town of Barmouth in North West Wales, is said to be "bouncing back" as a holiday destination. Property prices have increased tremendously and a number of new restaurants and shops have popped up in the popular seaside town.
You can certainly see why the place is booming, as you see the stunning coastal views, as you follow the narrow road into the picturesque town.
The massive beach is surrounded by palm trees and there are plenty of car parking spaces near the front of the promenade. The bakery is small but easy to find, as you will see a queue of hungry tourists forming outside.
We waited our turn and saw a collection of glorious baked goods, laid out temptingly in display cases and on shelves.
This isn't just any old bakery, as they also serve a lot of hot and cold food as well. Salad boxes for when the weather is sweltering or warming comfort food like Bala butchered foot long hot dogs or their famous Chinese chicken curry.
You can order a slice of pizza or pop in for a Sunday lunch option of ham or turkey, served in a giant Yorkshire pudding with all the trimmings.
However, we were here for the baked goods and boy, what a choice they had. We saw millionaire profiterole pots, filled with cream, caramel and chocolate sauce along with brownies, flapjacks and almond tarts.
There were buns galore with Chelsea, Belgium, Custard, Blueberry or even Biscoff versions on sale. There were Sourdough bloomers, baguettes or just plain fresh bread fighting foe your attention among a sensory overload of crumbs and carbs.
We weren't too sure where to start but then I saw an old school classic. I remembered cornflake cakes from the seventies and this delightful cake combined the classic flavors of rich, gooey syrup with the irresistible crispiness of cornflakes.
There was a layer of strawberry jam underneath the crunchy flakes and on top of the crumbly pastry casing. One nostalgic bite is all it took for me to fall in love once again.
I also picked a 'Pwdin Bara' as it looked a bit different to what I have tried before. Bread pudding is a traditional cake, once known as 'poor man's pudding' as it was an inexpensive easy way to use left over bread.
Kind of perfect for a bakery. The bread pudding was packed with spice, fruit, ginger and cherries. It tasted a bit like a cross between bara brith and a Parkin cake. It was very moist and very morish.
One of the bakeries biggest sellers and bakery tourist attraction is their famous honey bun. Honey buns are made from a yeast-based dough that is fried, giving it a characteristic texture.
It's basically the same as an iced bun, but with a sweet honey glaze instead. It was nice but I am not sure about traveling half way across the country for one.
Last but not least, we couldn't resist the mint aero tray bake. I am pretty sure it winked at me. The cake was a huge slab of chocolate, crushed biscuits and mint bubbles.
It had a satisfying bite and crunch with a zingy after taste of mint chocolate. The thick and fudgy filling was glorious and I declared that I would probably travel across the country for this chocolate mint slice of heaven.
That's the thing with cakes; we all have our favourite one. We all have our preferred bakery as well. We ate our yummy baked goods by the seafront with the blue and green of the sea shimmering in the distance.
You may all scoff at the idea of bakery tourism but at this moment in time, I can't think of a better place to eat my cakes.
The Facts
Price: Cornflake Cake £3, Honey Bun £1.50, Mint aero chocolate slice £3.50, Pwdin Bara £3.50, total £11.50
Atmosphere: Bun appetite!
Car Parking: Plenty of car parking spaces in the large car park near the beach.
Disabled Access: Takeaway only
Service: Plenty of patience from the staff, as we tried to make our minds up re what sweet treat to choose.
Overall: The award-winning bakery selling buns behind the latest 'bakery tourism' craze.
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