East & West Bakery, Barnstaple

I must give the East and West Bakery in Barnstaple, Devon a mention because they are doing a fabulous job catering for Coeliacs down in Barnstaple. We visited here one afternoon as my friend had mentioned that they do gluten-free cakes. I was naturally keen to sample their delights, I mean, a bakery that actually provides a selection of gluten-free cakes is a rarity in my part of the world and as I seem to be obsessed with satisfying my sweet tooth at the moment I couldn't wait to see what the bakery had to offer.

When we walked in it was clear that the bakery was a very popular place as there were about 5 or 6 people in the queue in front of us - always a good sign! My friend pointed out to me the section of gluten-free pastries and cakes which were located to the far right of the counter as you walked in and were all displayed on their own separate tray, away from all the gluten cakes. I also happened to notice that they bake their own gluten-free bread and sell it by the loaf, individually wrapped and ready to take away.

I decided to go for the coffee cake as it just looked amazing! I am not kidding when I say it was the nicest gluten-free cake I have ever tasted - the light, moist sponge, the layers of coffee flavours and the fresh cream on top all complimented each other well, plus the slice itself was huge! I almost forgot to take a photograph of the cake because I was enjoying it so much but here's a quick picture I took before I devoured the whole slice...

Apparently they take orders too so you can order a specific type of cake if you call them in advance and they will bake pretty much anything for you -  01271 377577.

I can not wait for my next visit!