Small but perfectly formed, friendly and unbelievably tasty, Companio Bakery has been selling baked goods to the good people in and around Ancoats since 2015. Which by our accounts means the crew were here long before this neighbourhood was catapulted into countless lists of the world’s coolest places to live. Early adopters no less, that pioneering spirit is still evident in what’s coming out of the kitchen, which specialises in sourdoughs, baguettes, and focaccias, with viennoiseries, brioche, cakes, coffees, savouries and freshly made sandwiches also on offer.
Run by Baneta Yelda and Neil Large, who head up a dedicated team of pros with enviable skillsets, one of the big selling points here is the open-plan feel of the place. Very few bakeries welcome their customers onto the shop floor itself, but once through the door here you’ll be able to watch members of the team rolling out and proving dough while you pick what to order, the air thick with the smell of pure goodness. A canny sales technique, we challenge anyone to not wind up buying more than they planned as warm scents waft under their noses.
Another major draw is the quality of ingredients used. Companio Bakery prides itself on using Edinburgh Butter Co.’s dairy produce and French wheat flour from specialist Foricher Moulins for items like the croissants and pain au chocolate, with the signature Coffee and Almond Croissant more than worthy of all the hype. For sourdough, stock comes from Wildfarmed, a firm that prides itself on regenerative farming methods and improving soil health, while the organic rye flour is from Gilchesters in Northumberland, with Allpress coffee to boot. As such it’s no surprise customers include foodie havens like Chorlton Cheesemongers and Mana, both of which regularly order from here to supply their own businesses. Nevertheless, nothing beats the experience of the Ancoats HQ itself.