As a fellow baker, I am always very critical. Not much to…read morecriticise here! From the moment we walked in and saw the fabulous photography on the wall to the minute we left with £15 worth of cakes I was a happy bunny. The lady who served us (a character all by herself!) was very helpful and packaged our cakes nicely so we got them (all) home in one piece. We over indulged in the white ganache tarts, caramel death by chocolate, a selection of chunky chocolate topped chocolate muffins, and a shortbread heart amongst some others. For my particular taste the ganache was slightly too runny, but i had a spoon so it was all good. The chunky chocolate topped muffins were varied from chunks of toblerone, crunchies, white choc etc. and were very tasty and moist, like proper chocolate cake should be, The shortbread was super - perfectly baked with a good amount of jam sandwiched in the middle. There wasn't much bread left on sale but it was about 3pm so we decided to go to the Barbakan.....

I've been to pollen for take out pastries, coffee, and adore their sourdough, but I've never…read moreactually sat down to eat anything more than pastry ... until I did. whenever I've passed this branch, its always been busy, people queued outside on weekends, all tables full inside and outside, and generally busy, so I was a little worried I wouldn't be able to get sat down when I went. It was a Sunday morning, and I could only get there long after opening due to my transport arrangements so I was worried ... but thankfully I was easily able to get a table to sit down and eat .. I'm lucky most of the people of Manchester don't wake up early on a Sunday. So it was a little quiet but inside was almost full when I got there ... which was nice. It was a decent day and I was kinda close to the window so could see the marina and all the people exercising and walking their dogs and it's with sitting and just chill. So with sitting and eating, I wanted to get something good. it always looked amazing when I was waiting for my drink to take out, but I'm always one to have eggs Benedict whenever I can, so I figured I might as well try theirs ... and it did not disappoint. It came with ham hock, 2 eggs, brown butter, hollandaise, and crispy kale on their own sourdough. Im not usually one to have kale ... but they made it amazing. I finished every last bit and wanted more ... it was hands down, one of the best eggs Benedict I have ever had. To accompany the eggs benny, I also went for a coffee, as you do, and an orange juice, which was so nice. Hands down will always recommend people to go to pollen, if not for their sourdough and coffee and pastries to go, but also to sit and eat. Love this place

This place is quite popular! There was a long line (or queue) but it went pretty quickly. I was…read morehappy they had an iced black, since I prefer ice coffees. There is a homemade Yuzu drink that I'd love to try next time. Outside has a few more seats than inside. They can run out of food, so I'd make sure you get here on the early side if you want food. It's a pretty casual spot and loudness level depends on the crowd. The food tastes very good!

This is a stunning shop owned and run by a total genius!! He makes cakes to order and what cakes!…read moreSuperman any film tie in you want! We ordered a Harry Potter cake for Harry Potter day at my husbands school and couldn't believe what we got. I have never seen such a perfect work of art! There are cakes available to buy off the peg and to order. You go into the shop and tell them what you want and they will make suggestions. There are lots of pictures and the hardest part is to decide which fantastic cake you are going to buy!!

In my quest for the perfect cake for a friend's 30th, I came across Richard's Cakes. Specialising…read morein bespoke cakes for every event or occasion, what struck me most about them was the fact that they have a set price list which is extremely reasonable. Prices start at just £30 including decoration and you can request practically anything, be it a cartoon character, a caricature, a car, even a handbag. Not only that, but you can choose any flavour as well as an an eggless cake or one that's gluten free. We're still working on our design (you'll get a one-to-one consultation to help you decide), so I'll update this post when we've received the final product!

If you check out my profile you will see that my last meal in the world would be cake. That is not…read moreto say that I don't love my Mum's roasts, or my Dad's curry chicken and rice, or my Mum-in-laws mutton. All three are delectable, lick the plate, belly- full and smile- on- the- face kind of food, but NOTHING compares to cake! I had to have a special cake made for my mini-me and nothing but the best would do. She was very specific, sponge, butter cream and jam, enough for 50 people but the design was left up to me. This is where Richard's Cakes came in and they proved themselves royally. The staff are excellent and showed me a portfolio of designs which were amazing. Eventually,having been distracted by the smell of cake, I decided upon a Chanel handbag and the sweet girl who assisted me asked me all about the personality of my little princess. Is she a girlie girl? Answer Yes. Does she like make-up. Answer : totally. Is she always on her mobile phone? Answer: glued to it. This was not a confectionary Q&A session without a purpose though, because when I went to collect the masterpiece, it was surrounded by an edible fondant lipstick, eyeliner, nail polish and mobile. Absolutely exquisite. Princess was overwhelmed as her friends gasped in admiration but the proof was in the pudding and it was the lightest, tastiest sponge I had ever had in my life. And the second best part was the price- all this for only £40!! Heaven in a cake box.

Didsbury is definitely swarming with great local, independent businesses. This little bakery is not…read morein the business of making bread but in the business of feeding you good food and good coffee so that you can get on with your day appropriately. The sandwiches are made fresh with good salad and meats, the pasties and bakes are good, the coffee is Illy (possibly the best coffee brand out there). I haven't tried the sit-down, full-english offering yet but there are punters enjoying it every day of the week and it looks well good. Prices are very reasonable too, the place is clean, service is great...basically a typical British bakery that does it right!!

The Burton Road bakery is an excellent choice for breakfast or lunch. Although it isn't as stylish…read moreas it's neighbours Volta and Folk the food is so good it's definitely worth a visit. I ordered the vegetarian breakfast which was one of the best I've had in a while. The quality of the ingredients was high and I liked the fact that they included potato cakes and veggie black pudding. The place itself gets very busy so you do have to wait a while for your food. They have outdoor seating if the weather is good. The bakery also do sandwiches and amazing cakes. Can't wait for my next visit

This is as good as it get's for your local bakery and cafe in the UK. Friendly staff, lovely…read moreenvironment and the best cakes you will taste this side of the channel. When you enter, you'll probably struggle to find seating as this local Cafe has become the hang out place for Mum'n'Kids, Pensioners and the odd student who likes a good coffee. The cakes and sandwiches which are made fresh on site are to die for! A must for any cake lover!

I absolutely ADORE Mama Bears Cakes & Bakes!!! I live in the US, and my boyfriend lives in the UK,…read moreand I wanted to send him something super special for our anniversary. After searching endlessly and fruitlessly for weeks online for someone who could make exactly what I wanted, accept payment internationally, and deliver it to my BF, I messaged Mama Bear's, and the owner is an absolute ANGEL. She worked with me to decide on exactly what to create. Even though the things I asked for aren't typically items that she makes, she told me that she was a "romantic" and would be happy to make a special order for me. She even ended up adding decorations on her own because she wanted to make it extra special! Such a lovely person to work with!!! Her husband hand-delivered the cake & chocolate-covered strawberries to my boyfriend on our anniversary and even passed along a special message. My boyfriend was totally surprised and absolutely impressed with the presentation of the gift itself. He also said that the cake and strawberries were incredibly DELICIOUS!!! He really tried to ration them out to last longer, but they were so good he couldn't help eating them within about a week and a half haha. Mama Bear is the greatest, and if you live in the area, you should DEFINITELY choose her shop! I'd be there for coffee and baked goods daily if I didn't live across the pond! haha.