Eastbourne and Bexhill bakery named the seventh best artisan bakery in Britain

The 2023 Bakers’ Dozen is a list of the top 13 artisan bakeries in Britain. More than 100 specialists, including artisan bakers, consultants, suppliers and lecturers, were asked to vote for their favourite artisan bakeries.

Each voter was hand-selected by British Baker with the voters broken down by region to ensure bakeries across Britain had an equal opportunity to shine.

The results were announced at the first ever meeting of The Artisan Collective - an initiative created by British Baker to celebrate artisan bakeries and the people behind them.

British Baker editor Amy North said: “Congratulations to our first-ever Bakers’ Dozen. Each bakery on the list has been recognised by others in the industry as a beacon of dedication, passion, and skill, as demonstrated through lovingly handcrafted products and the people who make them.”

Poppyseed Bakery has three branches in Eastbourne - Gildredge Road, Beatty Road, and Hawthorn Road. It also has a branch in Western Road, Bexhill. It has taken home the title of Britain’s Best Loaf on four separate occasions, as well as Speciality Bread of the Year in 2020.

The business was established by Lee and Kirsty Smith in 2003 as Bexhill Farm Kitchen, changing its name to Poppyseed Bakery in 2016. It serves a selection of traditional loaves alongside sourdough and sweet and savoury pastries. Lee got down to the last three to be a judge on The Great British Bake Off, a role that went to Paul Hollywood.

Lee said: “It is an honour to be listed amongst some fantastic bakeries from all over the UK. I know most of the bakers that were named in the top 13 (bakers’ dozen) and they are great at what they do. I am now in my 38th year of baking and I love it as much as I do when I started. It is very hard building a good reputation in the bakery trade but it is harder to keep that reputation. We are very proud of our staff that have contributed towards the success we have had.”

Reporters India Wentworth and Jacob Panons tasted some of the bestsellers

Check out the full Bakers’ Dozen here

Poppyseed Bakery