Skip to main content
This site was built by AI in under 2 minutesBuild yours →
Baked fresh daily since 1962

Baked fresh.
Every single
morning.

Real bread. Real craft. Every loaf shaped by hand and baked in our stone deck ovens, the same way we've done it for three generations.

Order for CollectionOur Story
3rd Gen
Family bakery
100%
Local ingredients
4:30am
Baking starts
Stone-baked sourdough
Long fermented, hand-shaped
Order by 4pm
for next-day collection
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
200+ five-star reviews
From Our Ovens

Everything we make, we make with love

No additives, no preservatives. Just flour, water, salt, time, and decades of craft.

Sourdough Loaves

Best seller

Our signature long-fermented sourdough. White, seeded, rye, or spelt. Available daily.

From £4.50

Pastries & Croissants

Fresh daily

Buttery, flaky croissants made with pure Normandy butter. Pain au chocolat, almond, and seasonal fillings.

From £2.20

Celebration Cakes

Order ahead

Birthdays, anniversaries, or just because. Custom-designed, beautifully decorated, unforgettably delicious.

From £65

Wedding Cakes

Consultation required

Multi-tiered masterpieces tailored to your vision. Consultation included, delivered and set up on the day.

From £350
The Thornton Family
Est. 1962, Clifton, Bristol
62+
Years of baking excellence
Our Story

Three generations of early mornings

It started with Arthur Thornton in a tiny shop on Clifton Village in 1962. A wood-fired oven, a bag of flour, and a determination to bake bread the right way: slowly, honestly, and with care.

His son Michael expanded to the current premises in 1989, adding the patisserie range and the celebration cake studio that has since decorated thousands of Bristol weddings and birthdays.

Today, granddaughter Emma runs the bakery with the same values: every loaf is still mixed by hand, every croissant laminated layer by layer, every cake made to order. We source all our flour from Shipton Mill in Gloucestershire and our dairy from two local Somerset farms.

Organic stoneground flourSomerset dairyNo improvers72hr ferment
This Week's Specials

What's in the oven this week

Updated every Monday
Mon & Tue

Miso & Sesame Sourdough

Umami-rich white sourdough with white miso and toasted sesame seeds. A beautiful savoury loaf.

£5.50Add to order →
Wed & Thu

Cardamom Buns

Nordic-style swirled buns with butter, cinnamon, and fragrant green cardamom. Served warm.

£2.80 eachAdd to order →
Fri & Sat

Focaccia with Nocellara Olives

Pillowy focaccia topped with whole Nocellara olives, sea salt, and rosemary from our window box.

£6.00Add to order →
Sat only

Chocolate Babka

Rich brioche dough twisted with dark chocolate and hazelnut. Weekend treat at its finest.

£8.50Add to order →
All week

Seasonal Fruit Danish

This week: rhubarb and vanilla custard. Buttery pastry, in-house crème patissière, fresh fruit.

£3.20Add to order →
Pre-order

Granary Tin Loaf

Classic malted granary in a tin. Dense, nutty, and magnificent toasted with good butter.

£4.00Add to order →

Order by 4pm for
next-day collection

We bake to order so your bread is always at its peak. Place your order online by 4pm and collect from our Clifton shop the following morning from 8am.

1
Browse and order online before 4pm
2
We bake fresh for you overnight
3
Collect from 8am, still warm from the oven
Same-day orders
Welcome before 10am
Subject to availability
Minimum order
No minimum
Order as little as you like
Payment
Card & cash
Apple Pay accepted
Subscriptions
Weekly bread box
Save 10% on regulars
Find Us

Come and see us in Clifton

12 Princess Victoria Street
Clifton, Bristol BS8 4BP
Opening Hours
Mon to Fri7:30am to 5pm
Saturday7:30am to 4pm
Sunday8am to 1pm
Getting Here
Bus: 8, 9 to Clifton
5 min from Clifton Down
Parking: Clifton Down

What our regulars say

*****

“The sourdough here is genuinely the best in Bristol. I've been coming every Saturday for six years and it never disappoints. The cardamom buns are transcendent.”

S
Sophie R.
Clifton, Bristol
*****

“Had our wedding cake made here. Emma spent ages getting the design perfect and the cake itself was incredible. Three tiers, elderflower and lemon. Everyone asked where it was from.”

J
James & Laura T.
Married June 2024
*****

“The bread subscription box is worth every penny. Fresh sourdough and pastries every Friday morning. It's completely changed my relationship with bread.”

M
Mark P.
Redland, Bristol