I visited the Surrey town with five bakeries in a half mile radius and tried its best pastries

Weybridge is a gorgeous town with a stunning high street, where you can pretty much find anything and everything. The affluent area boasts luxury homeware shops like Neptune and And So to Bed, as well as trendy garment and gift shops like Nettie Knows and Bluebell 33.

There are also plenty of places to eat, so you are truly spoilt for choice. However, upon visiting and taking a stroll around the high street, I realised just how many places there are to stop off and pick up a freshly baked pastry.

Now, I wouldn’t bat an eyelid at this if I were in London. However here in leafy Surrey it’s a slightly different story.

So, I decided to test out five of the town’s bakeries to see what each has to offer. I was particularly interested to see how they could all coexist within such a small distance.

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Aromas

Aromas isn’t strictly a bakery, however, it does sell freshly baked goods. The pastries and cakes are all made in-house, and it’s got a friendly atmosphere inside.

Inside it is larger than I expected, with more seating at the back. I liked the layout of the cafe and the little benches in the window where you can sit and watch the world go by.

I opted for a pastry called a borek, it’s a twisted pie containing feta cheese and spinach held together by delicate filo pastry for £5.95, a little more than what I would usually spend, but the portion was large. This was filling but delicious, and I loved the Mediterranean pastries, including the baklava.

Maya

Tucked away on Baker Street, Maya is a pistachio-coloured micro-bakery and coffee shop. It’s gorgeous inside, and I could imagine coming here for brunch on a Saturday morning with friends.

When I say brunch, I mean what I envision as a proper brunch with smashed avocado on toast with smoked salmon, or poached eggs. Despite it being a micro bakery, there were plenty of places to sit, grab a newspaper and relax.

I opted for a sausage roll, which was the heaviest sausage roll I think I had ever picked up (not that I go around weighing pastries). This was one of the best sausage rolls I have tried, the meat was top quality with no gristle or grease, it cost me £5.

Speaking with one of the team members at Maya, sadly footfall has decreased, due to competition in the area, mainly since Gails opened its doors to the public on the high street.

It was also noticed that since the top entrance of Baker Street has been blocked off with bollards, the micro bakery has also sadly seen fewer customers than usual.

McLaren’s

Up on Church Street is McLaren’s Fine Foods, near the Queen’s Head pub. It’s in prime position for passing by for a coffee and snack while heading out for a walk along the River Wey Navigation.

McLaren’s Fine Foods is a family-run business, with friendly staff and amazing doughnuts. You can find really unique ingredients there, like Australian ali oli and truffle dipping oil, which sounds divine.

I could see the bread and pastries being baked in the back of the shop, and staff put together sandwich orders there and then as requested by customers. I chose a cinnamon bun, it looked like a huge muffin with a swirl puffing out from the top.

The top of the bun is glazed and sticky, with a sprinkle of sugar on the top. While fine food is the aim of McLaren’s I felt it was really good value for money, considering my cake cost just £3, the cheapest out of everything I had tried.

Bachmann’s

If you’re looking to feel as though you are in a Parisian patisserie, or an alpine cake shop somewhere in the Alps, Bachmann’s is the place to be. First established in 1989, by Ernst and Marilyn Bachmann, it’s an incredible spot to try the pair’s world-renowned chocolate creations.

I marvelled at the amazing gateaux kept behind a glass cooled cabinet with multiple layers topped with fresh fruit and cream, and cute bunnies made of chocolate for spring. There’s a seating area inside, with a sparkly chandelier overhead and mountain landscape posters hanging from the walls.

I chose a custard Danish pastry, also known as a spandauer. These are one of my favourite sweet treats and Bachmann’s did not disappoint, with a crispy laminated pastry, with buttery custard in the middle. I spent £3.50 on this pastry, which I think was a good price.

Next time I visit, I will have to try some of the famous Felchlin Grand Cru chocolate.

Gail’s

Gail’s is a famous big bakery chain that has taken the UK by storm, it’s recently opened its doors to Weybridge. Of course, it’s not an indie bakery or coffee shop, but I couldn’t write an article about bakeries and leave it out.

It has to be said, that Gail’s opening has brought job opportunities to the area. There is a nice atmosphere inside and has been busy since it opened.

I tried a pistachio, lemon and rose cake which was really small but dense. I’m not a huge fan of lemon drizzle, and I expected this cake to have a little more rose essence and less lemon which was overpowering.

In comparison, I think the cake was a little pricey for what it was at £4, however, pastries at Gail’s are priced well. It’s also made fresh every day on-site.

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