Verified in 2 cities.
Eccles cake is a signature dish of United Kingdom; we have verified places to eat it in London and Manchester. A small flaky-pastry round filled with currants, butter and brown sugar, topped with crystallised sugar.
A small flaky-pastry round filled with currants, butter and brown sugar, topped with crystallised sugar. A classic British bake found at St John in Clerkenwell and bakery counters across London.
The Eccles cake is named for the town of Eccles in Greater Manchester, where James Birch began selling them commercially in 1793. London's enduring claim to the form comes from St John on St John Street (1994), where Fergus Henderson serves Eccles cake with Lancashire cheese as a counter-bakery and dessert plate. The St John recipe (flaky pastry, butter-soaked currants, demerara) is widely copied across modern British kitchens. Other London bakeries selling the orthodox form: Bea's of Bloomsbury, Lyle's, Toad Bakery.
Where to eat in London:
Where to eat Eccles cake in London: the editor picks
Lancashire flaky-pastry pucks filled with currants, butter and warm spices. Born in Eccles, Salford in the late 1700s and named for the town, sold commercially since 1793.
James Birch is credited as the first to sell Eccles cakes commercially, at the corner of Vicarage Road and St Mary's Road in Eccles town centre in 1793. The pastries became a tea-time staple across Lancashire and survived the industrial expansion of nineteenth-century Salford. St John in London still pairs the Eccles cake with Lancashire cheese; Manchester pub dessert menus serve it with cream.
Where to eat in Manchester:
Where to eat Eccles cake in Manchester: the editor picks
Guided tour · 3h 30m
Discover the flavors and street art of London’s East End on a guided food tour. Enjoy iconic eats and tasty treats, and explore Spitalfields Market, Brick Lane, Shored...
Guided tour · 3.5 hours
Discover the diverse food scene of London's West End on a guided tour. Taste Soho after dark with global bites, cocktails, and rock ‘n’ roll history in London’s most v...
Guided tour · 3 hours
Enjoy a 3-hour culinary tour of London's best Indian food. Explore East London with only a bit of walking as your guide leads you to the secret culinary delights surro...
