Comedian and actor Romesh Ranganathan co-owns a family run bakery which was first established in 1937 and now boasts an expansive range. So is it actually any good?
A foodie ventured to a bakery co-owned by comedian and actor Romesh Ranganathan to see how it measures up. The British star, 47, is famously vegan and has put a stake in a beloved British bakery, Coughlans, which was first established in 1937.
The family-run bakery has an extensive plant based selection made up of traditional baked goods like doughnuts, cinnamon rolls, fresh bread, wild mushroom sausage rolls and much more.
Content creator Gerry, one half of the popular account @bitetwicefoodreviews, visited the Croydon branch to sample a sweet treat that’s been making the rounds on social media, the crème brûlée croissant.
Crème brûlée is a popular dessert which originated in France, with the first known print recipe found in the pages of a 1691 edition of a French cookbook, Le Cuisinier Royal et Bourgeois, by Francois Massialot.
The recipe called for a sweet custard made of egg yolks and milk topped with a burnt sugar crust. Since then, the flavours and ingredients have been incorporated into a variety of other dishes and desserts.
In a video posted on Instagram, Gerry began: “Is the Romesh Ranganathan co-owned bakery actually any good? Let’s find out.”
WARNING: Some strong language, viewer discretion is advised
He then elaborated: “We’re in the stunning borough of Croydon – famed for the greatest comedy series ever, Peep Show, Stormzy, Naomi Campbell. I’m here to try Coughlans Bakery, since 1937.”
He then flipped his camera to show an A-board outside the venue which featured an image of Ranganathan, before the footage cut to show inside the bakery.
He zoomed in on a crème brûlée croissant and continued: “This has been all over my Instagram and my TikTok, it’s the crème brûlée croissant.”
Gerry held the croissant up to the camera and said: “It’s roasting hot, more bakeries need to be dishing out hot pastries.”
He described the £3.80 croissant as “huge” and an “absolute goliath”. Gerry explained: “We tried Coughlans a few months ago, this isn’t one of those bougie bakeries, this is a local bakery but emphasis on quality.”
After taking a bite, he said: “This is a masterclass in how you fill a croissant. Despite the fact it being absolutely full to the brim inside, it doesn’t feel overtly sweet and sickly.
“The flavours are properly balanced, there’s more glaze than a freshly cleaned window – stunning.”
He added: “The crème brûlée filling, it’s so f***ing good… it’s got crunchy textures, soft textures, it’s creamy but it’s the full works, man.
“If there’s a reason to come to Croydon, this is one of them. Hands down, from the stuff that I’ve tried at Coughlans, this is their winner.”
In the caption, Gerry simply penned: “Old skool bakeries FTW [for the win]”. So it’s safe to say he enjoyed his experience.
In the comments section, fellow Instagram users were keen to share their thoughts. One person said: “Blows my mind that it’s vegan too!”
Another agreed: “I discovered recently almost all their pastries etc etc are dairy free. Was so excited for my son who is allergic to milk. We’ve got one in Epsom too.”
A third shared: “Coughlans is my childhood! You need to try more like their yum yums and sausage rolls. They are so good”.
And another added: “Loved Coughlans when I used to live in Croydon. Must visit when back in Croydon visiting family!”
