Lenton Bakery at Grainthorpe Mill now bakes gluten free on the second weekend of every month. The range is made to order, so the bakery asks customers to pre-order online and collect during the weekend, with only the odd spare likely to be left at the counter.
Anyone who has tried to find a decent gluten free cake in a small market town knows how rarely it happens. The shelf is usually a lone flapjack and a hopeful label. So a village bakery setting aside one weekend a month for a proper gluten free bake is worth a mention.
Why Only One Weekend a Month
The bakery explains the monthly schedule on its own gluten free page. Making the range every week led to too much going to waste and not enough sales, so the team has settled on one planned weekend. That also explains the pre-orders. Baking to order is how a small bakery keeps waste down, and it gives customers a better chance of getting what they came for.
It is a sensible compromise for a small bakery that is already making bread, scones, sausage rolls and cakes by hand. The best way to think of the second weekend is as a booked slot, not a standing item on the counter.
What Is on the Gluten Free Menu
The range centres on sweet bakes: cake by the slice, tray bakes, tarts and dessert pots, plus quiche tartlets for anyone who wants something savoury. The exact selection can change from month to month, so the gluten free menu on the bakery's website is the place to see what is on for the coming weekend.
How to Order
Gluten free bakes are pre-order only, through the bakery's website. Choose what you want and collect it from Grainthorpe Mill during the gluten free weekend. The bakery says it may have a few spares at the counter, but it strongly recommends not relying on them. If the weekend is coming up, order early, because the bakery has not published a separate cut-off time for the gluten free range. Our guide to pre-ordering from Lenton Bakery covers how the normal click and collect service works.
The bakery also plans to send email reminders before each gluten free weekend, so signing up through its website saves remembering the date.
One Thing to Know About Allergens
Everything at Lenton Bakery is made in the same kitchen with the same equipment, and that kitchen also handles nuts, peanuts, eggs, milk, soya, sesame and gluten. The bakery says it takes steps to reduce cross-contamination, but it cannot guarantee any product is free from traces of those allergens. In practice, the bakes are gluten free recipes, but they are not made in a gluten free kitchen.
For some people that makes no difference. For anyone with coeliac disease or a serious allergy, it is worth reading the bakery's allergen notice and asking the team before ordering.
Finding Lenton Bakery
The bakery is based at Grainthorpe Mill, on Main Road in Grainthorpe, near Louth, with free parking on site. Its inLouth listing has the address, directions and contact details. For more places that cater for different diets, see our guide to vegetarian, vegan and gluten free eating in Louth.