Review: Coffee with a smile at Corner Cottage Bakery - Leamington’s house of bakes

Review: Corner Cottage Bakery, 8 Park Street, Leamington Spa

If perennial drizzle and the arrival of a divisive London-originated cafe chain around the corner are bad news, no one told the staff at Corner Cottage Bakery.

A grey Saturday afternoon is drawing to a close and I’m dunking shreds of kanelbullar — that’s a Scandi cinnamon bun for the non-artisan acquainted — while nodding along to the clean version of Lily Allen’s ‘Smile’.

A tastefully neutral design, with sacks of Cotswold flour heaped in a baking area at one end, makes for unassuming surroundings.

We’ve been given a friendly welcome and we’re perched on seats by a ledge along the window which, along with a semi-closed outdoor corner, provides the sit-in options.

The bright reception from the young team and open layout gives us strong confidence that this would be a welcoming place for anyone with mobility issues.

A stream of regulars of all ages flow in and out with regular orders and slicing instructions.

While Warwick District has some fantastically popular indie bakeries, the last one I frequented in Leamington sold ice buns from a corner house in Farley Street at a time when you could rent Van Damme films from Leo’s Videos and queue for vinyl in a place called Soundhouse.

With awards presentations strategically located above a large fresh bread cabinet, the family-run bakery has earned its crusty stripes in the age of sourdough.

On the day we visited there was much more than that byword for urban hip which has spread its firm and dusty presence across artisan shelves near and far.

The house choice of the week was the Cottage’s regenerative wholemeal, made from environmentally friendly farming practices promoting soil health, biodiversity and sustainability.

White pain levains and cottage batches were among the other more substantive in-house creations at this branch, which has an older sister bakery in Kineton.

Arriving towards the end of play, we’re more drawn to the pastel de nata, Eccles cakes, pain au raisins, cruffins and other temptations housed in a pastry cabinet.

One of the team directs us to the kanelbullar with the recommendation that she’d had not one but two on her birthday.

Easily torn and nicely textured, it went down well with my cappuccino and my companion’s decaf flat white, made with coffee from local roastery of repute Monsoon Estates and served hot, that is above the temperature in most coffee chains which takes in the time it takes to serve the liquid.

It’s clear to see why this bake house, and no doubt the lockdown baby in Kineton, has earned and retained fans, even as the crowds descend on the controversial baking chain beginning with G that has recently opened around the corner.

We went back in the week and bought a pain au levain, a type of sourdough considered a badge of honour by artisan bakers, which the team sliced and divided into two signature bags.

The crust was dark and rugged in places while the open-structured crumb underneath was the right mix of soft and chewable, making it a natural companion for soup or stew.

Returning to the original visit, the bill for the cappuccino, flat white and kanelbullar came to £10.60.

I bopped out well refreshed to the sound of Allen’s infectious hit with a mental note to see what this jukebox of bakes has to offer in the future.