Northern Rye: Redefining British Bakery Delights in Newcastle

When it comes to delectable pastries, France often steals the spotlight. However, let's not overlook the culinary wonders of the UK. NORTHERN RYE in Newcastle stands as a testament to this, securing the 4th spot in the prestigious Bakers' Dozen 2024. This accolade, voted on by over 100 specialists spanning artisan bakers to suppliers and consultants, speaks volumes of its excellence.

NORTHERN RYE is close to the quayside, and it would take 30 minutes to walk there from the center. The store is quite small, so it is always full of people when it opens. There is even a long queue outside the store during the early morning. Usually, everyone buys whole packages of bread and pastries.

According to the Bakers' Dozen, NORTHERN RYE specializes in sourdough bread, viennoiserie, sandwiches, and great coffee. They use high-quality ingredients such as Ampersand butter, Land Chocolate, and Gilchester Organics Flour, which puts the ‘rye’ in Northern Rye. This could explain why their bread and pastries have more flavour than others. Especially their sandwiches, which only have cheese, ham, and salad but taste totally different from others.

The special thing about NORTHERN RYE is that they only have a coffee menu. The bread, sandwiches, and pastries are offered differently every workday. Of course, they always offer croissants and Pain au Chocolat, but Egg tart, pecan roll, and almond cake require more luck or following their Instagram. The price for the pastries ranges from £2 to £4 each. NORTHERN RYE's official website says, “the bakers like to get a bit more creative and give you a wider offering for your weekend.”

The most amazing pastry is the cruffin, which is a hybrid of a croissant and a muffin. They are very crisp outside but fluffy and creamy inside. The combination of two different tastes makes these pastries so charming. NORTHERN RYE offers hazelnut and lemon flavours.

Another recommendation is their sandwiches; they have a variety of fillings. NORTHERN RYE confirms on its official website that it uses the best seasonal ingredients. They definitely have magical power because the fillings are all simple ingredients, but they are so delicious.

NORTHERN RYE also offers great coffee. NORTHERN RYE explains on its website that it cooperates with Notes Coffee. Their coffee is directly from farmers and focuses on high-grade, single-origin small-batch coffee production. The flat white is the most popular coffee in the bakery.

Besides the food, they also offer a choice of tableware and coffee beans. Those products are unique; for example, one of the mugs has a bosom, and the other is a doggy ring holder. So while people wait in line, they can browse around.

Northern Rye
Address: 4 Riverside Walk, Byker, Newcastle upon Tyne NE6 1LX

Hours: Monday to Saturday 9:30 am–4:30 pm

by Szuyi Lu