Borough Market's Bread Ahead bakery, known for its popular doughnuts and pastries, faces uncertainty as its lease is not being renewed due to the shop’s international expansion and perceived over-successfulness at the market. Since opening 13 years ago, Bread Ahead has grown significantly, selling thousands of items daily across seven London locations plus branches in Bangkok, Riyadh, and Dubai. Founder Matthew Jones, who began his culinary career early as a restaurant kitchen worker, plans to open a new location in New York by mid-November despite challenges and a self-funded expansion that is behind schedule and over budget.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-10,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
At 10am, a bell rings out across Borough Market.
asserted
bell → ring → Market
It’s a member of staff at Bread Ahead enthusiastically shaking a brass handbell to signify the stall’s fresh doughnuts are ready for sale.
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doughnuts → ’ → sale
A crowd has already gathered to be first in the queue for the bakery’s raspberry jam, vanilla custard and crème brûlée treats.
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crowd → gather → jam
On a typical day, the stand will shift 4,000 doughnuts and 1,000 pastries.
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stand → shift → doughnuts
From its humble beginnings in the Southwark gastronomic citadel 13 years ago, Bread Ahead has grown into a sizeable business.
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Ahead → grow → business
Its turnover runs into many millions and there are now seven branches across London along with three overseas, in Bangkok, Riyadh and Dubai.
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turnover → run → Bangkok
Baking classes are held at some branches, including Borough.
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classes → hold → Borough
In all, Bread Ahead employs 83 full-time staff.
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Ahead → employ → staff
Its bakery school upstairs at Borough hosts “500 to 600” local schoolchildren each week, who come to learn to make bread and doughnuts.
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who → host → bread
The general public and corporate parties also attend its workshops.
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public → attend → workshops
Matthew Jones, the founder and owner, says the Big Apple is next.
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Apple → say → ?
“It’s all self-funded and it’s six months late and over budget but New York opens mid-November,” he says, smiling.
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he → ’ → budget
Jones, 56, cuts a relaxed figure, trim and bearded, wearing a branded black baseball cap and T-shirt as he tours the market and his premises.
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he → cut → market
Dubbed the “King of Doughnuts”, he is personable, a natural charmer and showman who stops to greet fellow stall-holders and welcome customers.
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who → dub → customers
But it’s uncertain how much longer he’ll be here — because Bread Ahead has not had its lease renewed.
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lease → ’ → ?
It has been told it is “too successful” and has grown too much internationally to occupy space at the artisanal market.
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it → tell → market
Jones left school at 15 in Sevenoaks, Kent, and got a job in the kitchen of a local restaurant.
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Jones → leave → restaurant
“I loved everything about it — the uniform, atmosphere, attitude, service, the freshness, chasing Michelin stars,” he says.
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he → love → stars
From there, he worked at a rollcall of top London restaurants — among them Quaglino’s, Le Pont de la Tour and Bibendum, before ending up as head pastry chef at Mezzo.
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he → work → Mezzo
He learned from Shaun Hill, John Torode, Simon Hopkinson and Sir Terence Conran.
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He → learn → Hill
In 1999, Jones opened Flour Power City Bakery in Hoxton.
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Jones → open → Hoxton
It grew quickly, soon adding another outlet in Kent.
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It → grow → Kent
Over the next 12 years, Flour Power built up a reputation for excellence and was featured in the press and on TV.
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Power → build → TV
Jones obtained funding from serial hospitality investor and entrepreneur Luke Johnson.
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Jones → obtain → Johnson
But the pair pulled in different directions — Johnson went on to grow Gail’s, where he is still part-owner — and they split.
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they → pull → Gail
They are still on friendly terms; they bumped into each other recently and, Jones says, had a good chat.
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they → bump → chat
But he was, by his own admission, left “messed up” — in a bad place, financially and mentally.
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he → leave → place
However, during that period with Flour Power, he had developed close relations with Borough Market.
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he → develop → Market
Flour Power had a site there, although in 2011 it, too, was asked to quit, along with several other traders which were deemed too large and non-independent.
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which → have → traders
As one lot departed, a new crop entered, among them a revitalised Jones with his new venture, Bread Ahead.
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crop → depart → venture
He had decided to rejoin the trade he adored and to try again.
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he → decide → trade
The queues formed straightaway and, 13 years on, have never disappeared.
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queues → form → ?
“We could not believe it”
uncertain
We → believe → it
Matthew Jones
Jones was approached by the market, which is run by a charitable trust, six months ago to say his lease was due for renewal and it wished to conduct a “food policy review”.
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it → approach → review
This looked at everything to do with sustainability, sourcing and whether the company obeyed regulatory requirements such as paying the minimum wage.
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company → look → wage
Read More
“I felt they were on our side,” he says.
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he → read → side
“It took six months to go through it all.
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It → take → it
Then, we were called to a ‘final meeting’ in their office.
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we → call → office
They told us straight, ‘We will not be renewing your lease.’
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We → tell → lease
We could not believe it.
uncertain
We → believe → it
…and 45 more, not listed.
The Aporia
