There’s no shame in filling up on bread. Whether you’re greeted at a restaurant by a crusty sourdough slice with salty whipped butter, or a pillow-soft dinner roll begging for an inch-thick layer of the golden stuff, the bread course at a restaurant might just be the highlight of the meal. And when it comes to bakeries, makers of even the most complex and popular pastry creations need to first perfect a humble loaf. In its simplicity, bread and butter is also the most revealing about the place you’re eating – there’s nowhere to hide.
That’s why, on Sunday, October 4, hospitality platform Countertalk is hosting The Bread & Butter-Off 2026 at 40Ft Brewery in Walthamstow. It’s the third instalment in its Cook-Off series, and following April’s sell-out Cheesecake-Off, is set to attract an even bigger crowd, bringing together London’s top independent restaurateurs, chefs and hospitality voices. What’s more, members of the public are invited to come, taste each entry and cast their vote – and tickets are on sale now.
On the line-up? Ravneet Gill, founder of Countertalk, will give up her place on the judging panel to compete. She’ll pit the sourdough that she makes daily at her Chingford restaurant Gina against the sourdough from Fink’s, the beloved cafe and bakery group with sites across north and east London.
Also choosing to go with a classic are Notting Hill’s ever-popular pub The Fat Badger and the Michelin-starred Portland, both serving their takes on soda bread.
From there, things get more experimental: recently opened Shoreditch restaurant Tavern will serve its fire bread with tomato and house miso butter, served hot from the oven. Peckham Cellars will showcase its signature focaccia with flavoured whipped butter that changes regularly (and will be a surprise on the day). Finally, both Italian Japanese fusion restaurant Osteria Angelina and Queen’s Park favourite Don’t Tell Dad are incorporating Japanese flavours into their entries: Osteria Angelina’s soft Hokkaido milk bread is served with kumquat jam and burnt honey butter, while Don’t Tell Dad will top its miso and brown rice bread with chilli, thyme and honey butter.
Adding to the People’s Choice vote will be a clutch of respected judges. There’s Quo Vadis’s Jeremy Lee, Anna Higham of Quince, Lee Tiernan (FKABAM), Helen Goh (Ottolenghi), Kitty Tait (The Orange Bakery) and Rebecca Spaven (Toad Bakery).
The winner will be crowned on the day, and will score an as-yet-to-be-confirmed prize from Kerrygold, the Irish butter which is often used in professional kitchens (and has amassed quite a fan base, including singer-songwriter CMAT, who debuted designer Maya Grisham’s bespoke Kerrygold clutch made from 5000 crystals at last year’s Mercury Prize Awards).
The Bread & Butter-Off 2026 will be at 40Ft Brewery Walthamstow on Sunday, October 4, from 3pm–5pm. Tickets are £25.
