London's got a new patisserie
Plus more delicious things in London this weekend and cute books if you're not in London!
I know, I know. Is it ever possible for me to keep my promise and take a week off and give you all a moment to catch up?
It seems not…
London just keeps on giving.
I’ve returned to my usual schedule to be the first to tell you (yes, I can be competitive if I think I have a chance of winning 😂) about a new London patisserie. Although I won’t be the first if you also follow
because that’s how I found out about it. (Thanks, Eleanor!)While I’m here, I realised I didn’t tell you that
and I have put two more dates of the Notting Hill Bakery Tour available to the public on Sunday 2nd February and Sunday 2nd March next year. We may look to do tours of other areas in 2025, too, so keep subscribed and I’ll be sure to let you know!At the end of this email I’ll remind you again of the London events this weekend (7th and 8th December 2025) that I told you about last week, plus another two that caught my eye.
But first…
The newest patisserie in London Town:
Liba means cake in Latin. It sits close to legends Brutto and Luca so the name feels fitting in its brevity.
This is too adorable:
In case you can’t read it, at the bottom of the menu, under the picture, says “Every customer is supporting this little girl with a big dream. Emily, aged 3.”
Exactly what I’m here for. Spreading the word for people’s food dreams. I mean the business dreams, but honestly mostly this newsletter is sharing the foods of my dreams too.
Given the size of the city, there aren’t many places you can sit and eat quality patisserie in London. If your budget isn’t feeling the excellent Connaught Patisserie by Nicolas Rouzaud or Claridge’s Art Space Cafe (let alone Cedric Grolet at The Berkley) then may I suggest you come along to Liba?
Twenty-five year old Emily is making wonderful desserts. I haven’t eaten at any of the restaurants local to her in over a year, but I am conscious that often restaurant desserts are a poor afterthought, so you’ll hopefully be as excited as I am that in a few weeks Liba will also be opening two evenings a week for patisserie and wine to enjoy inside.
You can already get wine in there now.
With very little help, I tried and demolished most of seven of the eight desserts available. They were all brilliantly made.
If I was alone and planning to eat the whole of one then I would choose Emily’s favourite, the Milk Chocolate, Coffee, Walnut Pebble, or the Roasted Banana, Caramel, Oats bar.
They may start serving breakfast pots or muffins soon to go with coffee for those crazy people who don’t want patisserie for breakfast when they open at 8am… I’ll let you know if this happens!
📌 1 Cowcross St, London EC1M 6DR
🚊 Farringdon
⏰ Closed Sundays and Mondays. Opening times are subject to change as it’s early days! But it’s currently 8-4.
💰 £8-11 per patisserie
☕️ Massimo Roastery (1 ⭐️ Great Taste Award)
🍫 Callebaut at the moment but the signature chocolate dessert will be changing
🍃 there will be something vegan in January. Some patisserie contain gelatine.
🌾 some are wheat free
🪑 lots of tables - inside only
🚽 downstairs
Delicious London Things This Weekend
As well as the Christmas Market at Toklas and the Guittard takeover at Miel Bakery (now on Friday afternoon and Sunday as well!), which I told you about last week, here are two more things that caught my eye:
Hot chocolate trail at Old Spitalfields Market
Beautiful illustration by my friend Cierra Block who has fabulous books on London, New York, Paris and Barcelona and gorgeous gift cards.
Lucky Yu Bakery popping up again in Walthamstow
(I still haven’t been and won’t make this one either)
A question for you:
Feel free to add any thoughts on the above. Since Substack added the option to preview Instagram posts I thought it might be a neat way for me to highlight things you’ll want to know about.
The promised Christmas baked goods list won’t come until Wednesday next week now as writing this has taken up some of the time I had planned for writing it!
I’m still taking suggestions for Christmas baked goods!
Maybe the week after that I’ll take a week off. Maybe even two? Probably not just yet though. 😅
with love and wishes for delicious things for you,
Jen x
Thanks - Liba's now on the list! Often in that area and it could definitely do with more sweet stuff. Though I did have the rice pudding of my life at Bouchon Racine.
Do you know any bakery in Lindon that bakes ficelles???