Bakeries in Bangor

The baking story of Bangor

Bangor gained city status in 2022, but its roots go back to a 6th-century abbey founded by St Comgall that became one of the great centres of learning in early Christian Ireland. Today it is a seaside city on the southern shore of Belfast Lough, with a marina, a long promenade and a deep affection for the Ulster fry. That breakfast depends on the griddle: soda farls and potato bread, split and fried until golden, matter as much as the bacon and eggs. North Down's bakeries also keep the traybake tradition alive, with fifteens, caramel squares and coconut-topped slices crowding the counters. Inland, the fields around Comber grow the early potatoes that turn up in so much County Down cooking — including, naturally, the potato bread.

Local bakes to look out for

• Potato bread – Thin griddle-cooked farls of mashed potato, flour and butter, fried for breakfast.
• Soda farl – A soft, floury quarter of soda bread cooked on a flat griddle rather than in an oven.
• Fifteens – A no-bake traybake of crushed digestives, marshmallows and glacé cherries rolled in coconut.

Bakery hunter's tip: Combine a bakery stop with a walk along the seafront and marina; cafés along Main Street and the front serve a traditional fry with farls.

Did you know? Comber Earlies, new potatoes grown around the nearby County Down town of Comber, have Protected Geographical Indication status.