A bakery in Gwynedd was recently named one of the best bakeries in the world at La Liste’s 2024 Pastry Awards, and I headed down to Poptil Dref in Dolgellau to see if the reputation lives up to it.
We can say with confidence that this is indeed the case, and not just for the reasons you might imagine. Yes, the display cases and shelves were lined with delicious looking cakes and breads.
And yes, I did buy some for my family, but this was after I had lunch there, because this town centre bakery doubles as a cafe and also has an adjacent ice cream parlour.
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I parked nearby and headed towards this nondescript shop on Smithfield Street with a sign in the window saying “Town Bakery” and to my delight, the shop was packed with customers and diners and there were more tables available towards the back.
I thought about ordering lunch first, but most of the hot meals had already been eaten by previous customers, so I opted for a shepherd’s ham and cheese salad.
I sat at the wooden counter facing the road and waited, my tea coming soon and my food waiting to be served while I watched the buses to Machynlleth and the people passing by.
The waitress brought the Shepherd’s Salad and it was the most amazing salad I have ever eaten. It was served on a rectangular plate.
The ingredients were, from left to right, chutney, ham slices, grated cheese (probably cheddar and red leicester), lettuce, onion, cucumber, tomato, sliced peppers, pasta salad, green olives, coleslaw and beetroot.
Never mind five meals a day, there was enough healthy food there to get me through the rest of the week, and I washed it all down with panade.
But being a bakery after all, I felt obliged to check out the piles of cakes on display. I bought Bueno Chocolate Cake, Flapjacks and Rocky Road for others, but ate Millionaire Shortbread for myself, completely undoing most of the benefits of my previously healthy lunch.
As if to underscore this point, a large sign next to the candy section reads: “The bigger you are, the less likely you are to be kidnapped. So eat cake.”
Sure, there are the usual very impressive desserts you’d expect from this famous bakery — our waitress told us the staff were “overjoyed” to have been recently recognised by La Liste — but the food here is also very good.
It’s clear that Popty’r Dref’s reputation is growing, as evidenced by the constant stream of customers.
*La Liste compiles its rankings using a combination of crowdsourced guides such as TripAdvisor, press reviews and international restaurant guides. The latest list features 198 of the UK’s best bakeries and pastry shops across North Wales, Manchester, Edinburgh and London.
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