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

The 2024 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.

An artisan bakery is where baked goods are made by skilled bakers by hand, utilising longer and more traditional processes.

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.

Amy North, editor of British Baker said: “Each of the 13 bakeries has been recognised by industry experts and their peers as a beacon of dedication, passion and skill, as demonstrated through lovingly handcrafted products and the people who make them.

"It’s great to see such a diverse range of bakeries, which span the width and breadth of Britain from Berwick in Scotland down to Eastbourne in the South of England, on the list meaning communities across the nation have access to wonderful baked goods.”

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.

Poppyseed has three branches in Eastbourne – Gildredge Road, Hawthorn Road, Beatty Road. It also has a branch in Bexhill, located in Western Road as well as Lewes Road at Cross in Hand in Heathfield. 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.

Writing about Poppyseed publication British Baker said: “Flavour is the name of the game at Poppyseed Bakery, which promises to have something to tickle everyone’s taste buds from apple crunch muffins to award winning sourdough. In fact the bakery has taken home four Britiain’s Best Loaf trophies over the years.”