The story behind Belgrave Bakery

Belgrave Bakery opens before the buses. Leena Patel is usually already there, checking the dhokla trays and arguing with her father about whether the milk cake needs more saffron (it does not).

The shop has been in the family since the 1980s. Leena came back after a marketing job in London because, she says, “someone had to modernise the till without ruining the recipes.”

Saturdays are chaos. Regulars have an unspoken system. If you are new, stand to the left and do not ask for the sold-out tray that is clearly sold out.

“People talk about hidden gems,” she says. “This street has never been hidden. It has just been ignored by the people writing the lists.”