Fortnum and Mason’s British Bakery – Edd Kimber

I was on a quest to compare all the semlor (Swedish buns) in London and I’d heard a sneaky rumour on Twitter that I could find them in Fortnum and Mason.

Fortnum and Mason are currently hosting a pop-up bakery, with famous bakers rotating every two weeks. Currently holding fort is Edd Kimber, AKA The Boy Who Bakes. He was the winner of The Great British Bake-Off in 2010 and has since released two cookbooks, in between various appearances on TV, and in magazines and newspapers. He’s baking all kinds of sweet treats, from flourless chocolate cakes to Battenberg cakes, from lemon cakes to passion fruit tarts.

And there were also semlor. But-

“No more?!” I cried incredulously.

We were only making them on Shrove Tuesday, Edd patiently explained. And they were all snapped up by lots of Swedes.

“I’m sorry to have missed them!” I wailed.

“Well, I’m sure we can tempt you with something else,” Edd replied.

Actually, my brain had already been doing some super-fast calculations and I had clocked the salted caramel brownie before I’d even entered the bakery. I promptly ordered one (£4) and sat down.

Oh, how divine it was! A thin layer of liquid caramel set off salty and sweet tangs through mouthfuls of rich, moist, chocolatey brownie. It was heaven. And I must confess that I didn’t miss semlor at all.

The pop-up bakery means long hours for Edd but he’s enjoying being busy and, of course, satisfying customers with delicious, yummy things. You’ll find him on the first floor of Fortnum and Mason until Sunday 24th February (details here). Amazing cakes are waiting for you. Don’t miss out.

Author: Phoebe Amoroso

Phoebe Amoroso is a Tokyo-based reporter, multimedia journalist and storyteller. Hailing from the UK, she moved to Japan in 2014 and has since been shouting about the country to all who will listen. She divides her time between covering breaking news and producing feature stories for TV; writing about everything from business and tech to food and travel; and guiding hungry visitors who want to sample the best of Japanese cuisine. When not working and/or eating, she can often be found running up a mountain or cycling by the sea. View all posts by Phoebe Amoroso