bagels and schmear twists

Bagel Twists:

As one of the OG’s of the UK’s NY-style bagel wave, bagels and schmear are used to introducing us to new flavours. This time, the Radlett bakery has launched their bagel twists. They are essentially sticks formed from a twist of two bagel dough strips and come in three different flavours.

Bakery owner, Francesca Goldhill said they were invented almost by accident: “When we’re rolling bagels there is usually a little bit of dough at the end too small to make a bagel, which ends up being baked as a snack for the next day. One of the team members decided to make a random shape that resembled a twist and I had a bit of a lightbulb moment.”

They proved popular and she now makes batches every day in three different flavours — everything bagel; lemon drizzle and cinnamon sugar.

I loved the very savoury everything bagel ones. My sweet-toothed family were torn between lemon drizzle — slathered in a sweet lemon icing — and the cinnamon sugar flavour, my daughter’s favourite. She’s in good company, as Francesca told me the latter is the customer favourite “by a country mile.” They sell out of all flavours every day.

My verdict: the savoury sticks were a slightly more demanding chew, but I reckon that would make them ideal partners for dips on late summer picnics and to serve with autumn soups when temperatures fall next month. Or, as Francesca suggests, dipped in schmear.
More info here.

It's Bagels on the west side (of London)

New Openings:
It’s Bagels:

In central London, the second It’s Bagels store opens today. I’ve already given you the lowdown on this New York-influenced bakery founded by New Yorker, Dan Martensen, but take this as your cue to hotfoot it down there for your fix.

B Bagel Bakery, Brent Cross: 
What was Roni’s – at the foot of the escalator from the main car parks in the centre of the shopping centre has been reborn as a new branch of growing chain B Bagel. Camden opened last year joining a slew of shops in the NW1 postcode. Expect authentic Jewish bagels (non kosher) with a range of traditional and modern fillings. 

Brad and Dill’s:

Just north of London, St Albans may not be the first place you’d pick for a bagel breakfast, but I discovered a decent salmon and cream cheese filled bite here earlier this month. The second branch of this cool-looking (non-kosher) café is signposted as Swift dry cleaners. Whether for planning reasons or a design choice, the cunning disguise can make spotting it harder. It’s not new, but slightly off pitch on the London Road, so has taken me a while to visit.
I took my filled bagel — beautifully wrapped in branded paper — away but there were a number of seats and tables and a calm environment to sit and enjoy a coffee on the side.

It was super fresh and chewy with a generous helping of piquant pickles. There are only a few treife-free bites here including one hash brown and vegan mozzarella and an egg and American cheese option. And that salmon was definitely worth the journey.

Bagelfest 2024

BagelFest 2024

And finally, an even longer journey from London — if you or someone you know is likely to be Stateside at the end of September, add Bagel Fest to your itinerary.

The event, which takes place on September 28 at Citi Field — the home of baseball team the New York Mets — is billed as the world’s premier bagel celebration. (Not sure if I’ve heard of any other.)

It was founded in 2019 by bagel lover Sam Silverman as a tribute to what he calls one of the cornerstones of New York cuisine. Since then it has grown from a gathering of 300 bagel lovers to a trade and consumer show with shiny medals for the best bites.

If you can’t make it to the fest, Silverman (via his company, Bagel Up) also offers bagel tours as well as hands on bagel-making classes with award-winning bagel makers. I’m busy googling airline tickets at this very moment.

With the humble roll with a hole making rapid inroads into British café culture, how long do we have to wait for our own fest this side of the pond? 

More info here.