LDNReview
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Uncle John's Bakery
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It is physically impossible to stop eating Uncle John’s coconut chin chin. Believe us, we’ve tried. And for once, it’s not just our general famished bear state of being that’s the issue. No, it’s because Uncle John’s bakery has long-standing professional bakers who have mastered the ultimate snack. Sweet, fried to perfection, a crispy little one-hander that can be consumed whilst walking, reading, texting, and living. But it’s not just their chin chin that causes us to just keep on eating and snacking and dipping our hand in for more, it’s everything this Ghanaian bakery produces.
A family-run business on West Green Road in Tottenham, they’ve been selling various forms of highly addictive traditional Ghanaian goods since 1995. Although their small grab-and-go bakery is still a simple and straightforward operation, they’ve come a long way since then. These days, their oh-so-soft and fluffy sweetbread is sold in Morrisons and at countless local supermarkets across the UK. To us, and to many Londoners, their signature butter-yellow packaging is now Uncle John’s yellow and provokes a near-Pavlovian response of desperately needing some bofrot. These small round buns are hypnotically chewy and our preferred method of eating them is by steadily picking off the sweet crispy outside, and then rolling the soft doughy innards into a squidgy little ball, preferably whilst being horizontal. We like to call this behaviour ‘self-care’ but feel free to go on your own journey of discovery to find your preferred bofrot method. After all, when they’re two for a pound, it’s easy to justify a whole lot of experimentation and practice.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Uncle John’s savoury options are just as affordable and just as satisfying. Their £2 ‘pies’ have a uniform thick shining crust and are filled with flavours that—gasp—you can really taste. Think tender mince, a herby medley of carrot, tomato, and white onion, rounded off with some solid spices. The heat isn’t full-throttle or overwhelming, there’s just enough to leave you with a warm tongue and what we like to think of as an Uncle John’s pie glow, no TikTok make-up tutorial required. Wash it all down with a fruity hit of Ghanaian Fanta and you’re set for a meal that will be just as good on your way to work at 9am as it is trudging your way home through the rain merrily whispering ‘capitalism, you freak’ at 6pm.
That’s the thing with this Tottenham classic, they’re not reinventing lunchtime go-tos or altering winning baking traditions, they’re upholding them. They’re doing what they’ve always done with the same comforting stability of that friend who supports your life choices even when you decide to paint your rented bathroom millennial pink. Uncle John’s are always there for you, and for the sake of our coconut chin chin addiction, we hope they always will be.
Food Rundown
Sweet Bread
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Coconut Chin Chin
Pollo
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Bofrot
Sweet Bad
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Meat Pie
Fish Pie