Lovingly Baked by Anthea - Hindhead

B

Friendly staff. Lovely looking pastries, albeit some looking a little over baked. We arrived around noon and there was a small queue. We bought a chocolate marble cake, raspberry mascarpone bowtie, cheese straw and raspberry/blackberry tart. The bowtie was very generously filled, however there was a slight bitter taste to it which I think came from the pastry. The mascarpone filling was nice though. Cheese straw was average for the price paid. Blackberry and raspberry tart was quite disapppointing. The raspberries looked dirty like they were not washed and the tart was quite dry. The marble cake was moist, but wasn’t too keen on the powdered icing taste. The savoury items on display looked a bit sad/cold/soggy and on the small side, especially given how expensive they are.

There was a good selection of sweet pastries, but I’m sure there would have been more to choose from should we have gotten there earlier. It would be good if some sneeze guards/screens were installed to protect the food on display, as currently I’m a bit put off by everything being out in the open. I wanted to buy a lemon meringue pie but decided against it because it was placed at the very front corner of the table where a lot of people were standing/walking past. Also £6 for a slice of lemon meringue pie is a bit much. One guy queuing in front was scratching his beard almost directly above the baked goods, and it immediately made me think of beard hair and dead skin cell “sprinkles” 🤮

I would like to visit again, but the lack of sneeze guards really put me off. It’s the same reason why I’m reluctant to buy baked goods from farmers markets because everything is out in the open for flies to land on, people to sneeze/cough at and dust to fall on.

Such a shame as I really looked forward to visiting this bakery and had high expectations given all the positive reviews I’ve read.

UPDATE: In response to Anthea’s response to my initial review, I can further down rate you out of pettiness but I won’t because I only write honest reviews of my own experience in hope that businesses can look to improve where necessary and have no intention of slating businesses just for the sake of it.

The whole ‘I love my baked goods and accept no criticism’ attitude is unprofessional, however I appreciate that any negative feedback is hard to accept, especially for small businesses. I’ve not rated you 1* because I can see and appreciate all the hard work and dedication you put into your business. You should however accept negative feedback and criticism with an open mind. Not everyone will love or enjoy your baked goods and that is a fact that you cannot change, no matter how hard you try to explain yourself on the reply of a review. I don’t have any doubts or concerns about your hygiene practices during the process of making/baking goods - it’s the hygiene of the general public when they sneeze, cough, itch, scratch etc. If you can afford to install a sneeze guard, why wouldn’t you? Is it an aesthetic concern or something, perhaps that it doesn’t fit in with the whole ‘artisan’ character of your bakery?

Savoury goods can be soggy AND overbaked - pastry can be burnt without the cheese or pesto/tomato sauces etc being burnt. I said “some” items looked a little overbaked, not “everything”. Your savoury items did not look overbaked, but some of your sweet pastries did. You can insult consumers all you like, but it’s pretty obvious when something is overbaked.

I could spend more time explaining, disagreeing, arguing (or whatever you want to call it) every single point with you, but quite honestly I don’t have time for that. I would have visited your bakery again (to try out other items) should you have ever installed a sneeze guard, but with this attitude of yours I don’t think I will ever be visiting again nor recommending to friends or family. It certainly doesn’t sound like you need my custom or referral anyway. Anyhow good luck and I wish you all the best with your bakery and business.

SJ Mack

Loving Baked by Anthea - WOW what an incredible bakery and such a talented baker - the cinnamon rolls are beyond delicious and the Rock Roads were the most indulgent thing I have ever tasted as for the pasteis de nata - deep and crispy and eaten before we photographed them - all of the items purchased were outstanding.

They do have a website and where your can order items. But get there early as when its gone, its sadly gone!

Andrew

Simply superb. Couldn’t ask for more deliciousness, the almond croissants, Cinnabon bun, lemon meringue pie and carrot cake (yes I did go the gym before!) were spot on. The one negative review below made me sad (I assume the person is a failed baker/competitor) as so inaccurate (also - why not be brave and go give negative feedback directly rather than to the world?!).

The staff were also genuinely lovely. Can’t wait to visit again (next weekend).

Paul Garner

Lovingly baked by Anthea makes amazing boutique style cakes pastries and authentic French baguettes. You can even buy bags of the French flour that Anthea uses if you want to have a go at baking at home yourself. It's one of the closest things I've seen on this side of the channel to resemble a French patisserie. It's takeaway only at the moment, June 2023. There's plenty of parking on the grass just beyond the shop. If you are looking for something special to impress guests or simply a treat for yourself, then look no further. 😀

Tom Bell

Top quality bakery that fulfills a much needed gap in the local area. The bread is fantastic but the cakes and patisserie get you every time. Passion fruit croissant today was the best!

Lydia L-C

Very friendly, especially to chatty babies and absolutely delicious! My husband’s favourite cake is Portokalopita, I was so pleased to have found it out of Greece for him and it did not disappoint! Nor did the spanakopita or baklava… looking forward to our breakfast of cinnamon bun and croissant tomorrow. So pleased to have such a fabulous bakery down the road.

Paul Tansley

The best French Bread we've found since moving out of London 15 years ago. It's just divinely baked. Excellent fresh, but also freezes well too. Been ordering 5 loaves every couple of weeks for the last year or so. Just love it.

Melanie Pracht

By far THE BEST cake and bread around. We’ve moved to the area a year ago and me being originally from Germany, I’ve been missing a good bakery/cake shop and I’m sooo glad I found this place. We love coming here. Every week there’s a new treat to try. At Christmas they even had my favourite Vanilla Kipferl. The Gruyère Pretzels are a must try as well. Great customer service - lovely couple. Couldn’t recommend this place highly enough!