The origins of Ole and Steen are found in Denmark when third-generation baker Ole Kristoffersen in 1991 opened a bakery in Christianhavn, Copenhagen. Steen Skallebaek opened his first bakery in Jutland (West Denmark) in 1992, where he became famous for Rugbrød and Rundstykker (rye breads and small rolls).
In 2008, Ole & Steen joined forces in the pursuit of quality. With over 100 stores in Denmark, their bakery named Lagkagehuset is a household name. Their first UK store opened on 19th December 2016 on Haymarket, under the name “Ole & Steen”. Since joining forces, Ole & Steen have gone global with bakeries across Copenhagen, London and New York.
What is the secret of their success? Ole & Steen prides itself on its true Scandinavian feel together with authentic, high-quality, delicious baked goods from their famous Cinnamon Socials to authentic Danish Breads.
Londoners in particular have enjoyed the wide range of freshly made rye breads, sandwiches, toasties, open rye sandwiches, breakfasts and various drinks. Since the 2016 opening, Ole & Steen has opened 26 stores in London.
We visited Ole & Steen at Canary Wharf (Jubilee Place) to sample some of their products and experience the ambience of the store.
The front of the store provides plenty of evidence of its Danish origins and has a wide selection of bread, buns, swirls, Spandauer Danish pastry, Vegan Social and large trays of their famous Cinnamon Socials.
Inside there are displays of breakfast rolls, toasties, filled croissants and sausage rolls.
For those with a sweet tooth, there are tarts, brownies, chocolate cakes, slices and muffins.
The seating area is influenced by the Danish concept of Hygge, a word that means coziness and comfortable, taking time away from the daily rush to be together with people or on your own to enjoy life’s simple pleasures.
The airy space and intimate lighting encourage customers to sit and enjoy their food and drink and perhaps read a book.
We decided to try a some of the store’s favourites, so we had Smoked Salmon Open Rye (Carrot rye topped with smoked salmon, lemon cream cheese, pickled cucumber & fennel, dill and pink peppercorns).
Smoked Salmon Roll.
To follow we had Cinnamon Social,
Spandauer Danish pastry. To drink we had Ole & Steen orange juice and a Fentimans Raspberry Lemonade.
By the time we finished we certainly had a feeling of Hygge and both agreed the Open Rye and Salmon Roll had a generosity of fillings, especially the smoked salmon. The bread and roll was fresh and easy to eat with the other ingredients complementing the salmon. If our first course was a delight to eat, the Cinnamon Social and Spandauer Danish pastry exceeded expectations. Both were large enough to share and we both tasted and enjoyed the rich flavours and beautifully cooked Danish pastry.
We relaxed and finished our drink and concluded that Ole & Steen had raised the bar regarding bakeries that offer food to sit and enjoy or take away. The service is efficient and friendly even when busy with plenty of space near the counters. The food and drink is reasonably priced with many cakes and pastries, large enough to share.
If you a Londoner or visitor to London, a trip to Ole & Steen would be a worthwhile pitstop to get away from the rush of everyday London life and slow down over a pastry and a drink or enjoy a filling lunch.
The Ole & Steen London stores can be found at Northcote Road, Seven Dials, St James, Haymarket, Eccleston Place, Belgravia, Victoria Nova, Canary Wharf, Strand, Old Brompton Road, Chiswick, Hampstead, Oxford Westgate, Richmond, Leicester Square, Oxford Circus, Wigmore Street, Notting Hill Gate, High Street Kensington, Westfield (Shepherd’s Bush), Tottenham Court Road, Greenwich, London Wall, Jubilee Place and Kingston.
For more information, visit the Ole and Steen website here
London Visitors is the official blog for the Visiting London Guide .com website. The website was developed to bring practical advice and latest up to date news and reviews of events in London.
Since our launch in 2014 , we have attracted thousands of readers each month, the site is constantly updated.
We have sections on Museums and Art Galleries, Transport, Food and Drink, Places to Stay, Security, Music, Sport, Books and many more.
There are also hundreds of links to interesting articles on our blog.
To find out more visit the website here
London Visitors 