Taking time over good food is never truer pleasure than in winter. For it is the season of slow. Of home. Of warming winter meals and bakes that punctuate our day. The GAIL’s winter menu is rooted in the season, with superbly satisfying, spirit-lifting food providing comfort in any condition.
Food and comfort in winter
Winter is a time of simplicity. Of paring back. A time to gather ourselves.
Moving through the routines of the season – lighting fires in the apple-crisp mornings, pulling on layers of thermals, following well-thumbed winter soup recipes and drawing hot baths before bed. Routine invested with pleasure is transformed into a ritual. And rituals are what will carry us through the last days of winter.
No one understands the soulfulness of ritual better than the baker. GAIL’s is here to imbue your every day with simple pleasures. A comforting bun, warm from the oven to light up a dark morning, hot coffee in hand to greet the frosty dawn.
These simple pleasures, winter bakes and warming meals, transform the routines of winter into comforting rituals that imbue a sense of clarity and calm. Guiding us through the darkest days of the year. As poet and playwright Oscar Wilde so wisely put it “simple pleasures are the last healthy refuge in a complex world.”
Take a moment for yourself and find a safe harbour in our seasonal winter menu. We have a new Raspberry Iced Bun, that is pillowy and perfect with copious cups of tea. Single madeleines to lift any coffee break. And warm sourdough toast, served with salted whey butter and slatherings of Islands chocolate and hazelnut spread.
Winter bakes at GAIL’s
Our Baker’s Table is resplendent with seasonal bakes and cakes this winter, including:
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Raspberry Iced Bun
Our new Raspberry Iced Bun is sure to add colour to grey days. Taken fresh from the oven they are a splendid sight, made using our soft cream buns, filled with raspberry and rose jam and topped with raspberry icing.
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Rhubarb and Ricotta Cake
The return of a seasonal bake, with a twist. Find comfort in our Rhubarb and Ricotta cake, freshly baked throughout the day. A light polenta and ricotta sponge, full of anticipation and topped with tart rhubarb.
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Madeleines
There is something very satisfying about enjoying a small cake all to yourself. Even better if it’s accompanied by a cup of coffee. And mid-morning pick-me-ups don’t get more classic than a madeleine. A light sponge, with a hint of vanilla. Baked today, gone today.
Winter comfort food
Nothing says comfort in winter like tea and toast. Pop into your local GAIL’s bakery and labour lovingly over warm sourdough toast, served with salted whey butter and slathering’s of Islands chocolate and hazelnut spread.
Our butter is made in Devon the old-fashioned way, using the finest milk from grass-fed cows and whey cream from the cheese-making process, which gives a rich, nutty flavour. The Chocolate and Hazelnut spread is made with our friends at Islands Chocolate, who can trace every bar back to the source. We love it so much that we developed our Chocolate and Hazelnut Bun around it, as well as selling jars of it in our bakeries.
Not ones to start a row over the perfect topping, you can also take your toast with jam, almond butter, or both.
Join us at select GAIL’s bakeries to enjoy our made-to-order menu.
Warming winter meals
From soups to sandwiches, take time to recharge at lunch with light but wholly sustaining warming winter meals.
Contentment in a bowl, we created our winter soup recipes with our friends at Natoora, who share our obsession with provenance, quality and seasonality. From Delica and Farro to Parsnip, Pear and Walnut, our weekly changing soups promise hearty flavours and happy souls. Paired with our sourdough they make for a warming and comforting winter meal.
Find weekly Natoora soup specials served with GAIL’s sourdough every day in bakeries from 11am.
Other warming winter meals include our Reuby Toastie, a homage to the classic Reuben sandwich, overflowing with good things including our partners Eaten Alive’s famous ferments. And our Chicken, Pea and Bacon hand pie, encased in flaky, buttery pastry, can be enjoyed still warm from the oven. A testament to our belief that satisfaction comes from the oven.