Bakeries in Derry/Londonderry

The baking story of Derry/Londonderry

Derry's 17th-century walls run unbroken around the old city, and inside and out its bakers keep alive the griddle traditions of the north-west. Soda bread is often cooked as farls on a flat griddle, and potato bread — leftover mashed potato kneaded with flour and butter — is a breakfast essential. Wheaten bread, nutty and slightly sweet, is the loaf of choice with a bowl of soup. The city sits at the head of Lough Foyle with Donegal just across the border, and the shared culture of the area shows in its love of a good fry, home baking and visiting for tea. Halloween is a huge festival in Derry, and barmbrack, the fruit loaf with a ring baked inside, appears on tables as October ends.

Local bakes to look out for

• Soda farl – Griddle-cooked soda bread cut into quarters, perfect fried or buttered warm.
• Potato bread – Thin farls of mashed potato and flour, cooked on the griddle and fried for breakfast.
• Barmbrack – A yeasted, tea-soaked fruit loaf traditionally baked with a ring inside at Halloween.

Bakery hunter's tip: Walk the city walls first, then explore the bakeries and cafés around Shipquay Street, Waterloo Street and the Craft Village.

Did you know? Derry is the only remaining completely walled city in Ireland; its walls were built between 1613 and 1619.