Jack Ellingham is a London-based chef and baker known for his expertise in pizza making and baking with heritage-grain dough. He is a co-founder of the independent pizzeria, breadstall, and has been associated with...
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Popped in for some pastries. The bakery was very busy but take that as a sign of how good it is. We waited for about 10 minutes to be served. Staff were really friendly. Great range of bakery staples and special treats on offer. The orange and poppyseed and morning bun (cinnamon) were both really delicious! Will be making a repeat trip for sure
This place has earned its reputation for a reason — the baking is clearly skilled, and some items are genuinely excellent. The potato sourdough was my favourite: bouncy, airy, and full of quality flavour (my dad preferred the house one). The feta, honey & fennel seed swirl was light, balanced, and spot-on.
But the crust on both sourdoughs was extremely tough and rigid — more hard-to-chew than pleasantly crisp — which made slicing (especially the massive unsliced loaves) a real struggle, and eating it fresh felt like work. Toasting transformed it though — crunchy, tasty, and way more enjoyable. If you’re buying for toast, go for it!
The sticky bun was heavy and dense — not bad, just not the light, indulgent treat I’ve had elsewhere.
The in-store fennel sausage & greens sarnie on focaccia was the biggest disappointment: the bread was well-made but swimming in oil (too greasy), and the sausage completely overpowered everything else with intense fennel — nothing balanced about it, and it left us both feeling off. Shame, because the focaccia had potential.
Overall, impressive bakery with clear talent, but the hype doesn’t fully match our visit. A bread slicer would make a huge difference for me — I’d happily return for toast-ready loaves and that swirl. Worth trying if you’re in the East London area, but temper expectations if you’re chasing perfection!
5
🥐 ☕️ Dusty Knuckle, Dalston 9.6/10
Fruit custard danish 8/10
Buttery and flaky with a rich custard centre, topped with fresh fruit which cuts the sweetness perfectly.
My love hate relationship with danishes is why I rate it an 8/10. Personally, I prefer the filling to spread across the whole pastry so I get it with every bite.
Feta, fennel seed and honey swirl 10/10
The star of the show. Salty feta, sweet honey, aniseed hit from the fennel — Impossible to stop eating!
Date, apricot and cardamom bun 6/10
Sweet but dry bun, warm cardamom spice, good chewy fruit — solid but not the standout
Chai latte & regular latte 8/10
Smooth, well balanced, compliments the bakes really well
Overall:
Worth the trip 🔥
And 100% Worth a bite ✅
5
The Original Dusty Knuckle Bakery is tucked away in its own courtyard with bakery school terrace seating and pub / bbq restaurant nearby. There was a long queue for the bakery but it moved - and I would say it was about 10 min wait to order on sat morning.
We chose the sticky bun, bacon sarnie with brown sauce and an egg, and a pain au chocolate and two flat whites.
Then they give you the pastries and you wait outside for them to deliver the sandwich and coffee.
The pain au chocolate was amazing - quite bready but great flavour and chocolate - and fresh.
The sticky bun was pretty good - a bit too many raisins and harder to eat bc it was messy.
The bacon sarnie was delicious - the brown sauce tasted homemade! Loved the sourdough bread, it was lightly toasted and had a nice chew.
All in all we had a great experience, and we would highly recommend their pastries and foods! The soups sounded good, and the atmosphere is buzzing.
Coffee was pretty good too - it was a bit slower than the sandwich - this place was very busy!
5
Don't go to this place. You MUST run! Absolutely incredible. That focaccia is unreal, the best sandwich of my life and so is the quality of everything else. Great vibes
