Round and oval sourdough loaves on a wooden counter beside a tray of green-filled pastries
Sourdough loaves, plus something green and flaky we'll be back for

Bread Ahead opened its doors this morning, and by nine o'clock it was clear Harpenden had been waiting for it. We joined the opening-day rush to find buggies parked three deep, a queue curling past the counter and a team finding their feet at remarkable speed.

Customers queueing at Bread Ahead's green counter on opening morning, with buggies, menu boards overhead and a pistachio mural on the wall
The opening-morning queue at the counter

The space is lovely: casual but welcoming, with botanical murals, wooden stools and a beautifully restored tiled wall spelling out HARPENDEN, chips and all. It's an ode to the town, and far more heartfelt than the usual "Live, Laugh, Loaf" signage.

An old tiled wall spelling HARPENDEN in teal letters, with green wreath motifs and patches of missing glaze
The restored HARPENDEN tiled wall

The bakery and kitchen are open plan, so you can watch the bakes taking shape in the ovens. It's mesmerising, and considerably more productive than watching my own sourdough starter, which has been "nearly ready" since lockdown.

A baker carries a tray of pastries past the glass-fronted kitchen, with customers at the counter beyond
Fresh pastries heading out past the open kitchen

The full kitchen and menu aren't running yet, thanks to some last-minute snags, but the team hope to be up and running by Wednesday.

Staff were keen to explain how the place is run. Emese Dombai Szucs, a long-serving and hugely valued member of the Bread Ahead team, has been given the chance to make this her own business. Head office handles the red tape, HR and finances, while Emese is on the ground six days a week, running the show for Harpenden. It's a local bakery with a big name behind it, rather than the other way round.

And the food? The coffee was decent, which in a town that can tell a flat white from a cortado at forty paces is high praise. But the croissant, pain au raisin and sausage rolls were incredible. Really, really impressive.

Trays of cheese-crusted bread sticks, cookies, buns and croissants in the glass counter
Cookies, buns and cheese-crusted bread sticks behind the glass

Sadly, doughnuts and pizza don't appear until 11am, so we'll be back. Purely for research.

A few bits are still to come. Baby changing units are on site awaiting fitting, and table service will follow once things settle.

A quieter seating room with wooden chairs, round tables and woven pendant lights
A calmer seating room, away from the queue

Opening days are rarely tidy, but this one had all the right ingredients. We've got a good feeling about this latest addition to the High Street.

The Bread Ahead Cheat Sheet

  • The Location: 92–94 High Street, Harpenden (AL5 2SP). Open from 7am to 6pm. More at breadahead.com.
  • The Must-Orders: The croissant, the pain au raisin and the sausage rolls. Doughnuts and pizza from 11am.
  • Coming Soon: The full kitchen menu, hopefully from Wednesday, plus table service and baby changing once the last fittings are in.
High Street