Lets Do Brunch; The Butter Cross bakery Dorset ⋆ Amellia Mae

Sometimes there’s little more to do on a grey and gloomy summer weekend in Britain, then to eat your way through it. The summer has been somewhat unkind to us all this year, so what better way to brighten things up then with some super duper eggs at brunch! Sunny side up anyone?

We hot footed it over to Poundbury, a beautiful estate built on the Duchy Of Cornwall’s land. The stunning architecture and community design is influenced by HRH Prince Charles’ beliefs about high density urban design moving away from suburban living, and communities organically growing around the people and their needs rather then around the car and transport as are most suburban communities. Building has taken place over the past 23 years and continues to date.

We arrived on Poundbury, which is a curious place. Beautifully built and with the best of intentions to provide a space that is aspirational and inclusive for all. However, somewhat curated and seemingly contrived, you can’t help but get a feeling of “Stepford Wives” as you wonder about. It’s almost a little too perfect.

It seems as though it has always been here, the architecture deliberately designed to give the illusion of old money meets landed gentry mixed with the gentility of the Georgian era and nods to classical British design. An ‘aged’ and lived in effect that continues to be added to and developed. You can’t however, quite get away from the truth that it is only 23 years young.

There are a number of shops, galleries and eateries dotted about the estate, but you’ll need your walking shoes. Businesses and homes are all in one big mixing pot, there’s no ‘town centre’ as such and this is exactly as the designers intended. Finding a gem on Poundbury is more luck then judgement.

It’s very traditional looking and certainly if you are visiting from overseas it will sate your appetite for chocolate box houses and Georgian splendour in one fell swoop. Definitely worth a visit and peruse if you are in the area, but probably not worth basing a whole day trip around.

I’d heard that Poundbury had a number of good eateries and that there was a good place to ‘do brunch’. I donned my roomiest garments and headed out with a rapacious appetite.

We found the Butter Cross Bakery and made our way inside. The aroma of fresh bread and croissants was thick and my tummy growled expectantly. This was brunch Nirvana!

It’s an amazingly relaxed vibe. People are minding their own business, reading the papers or talking quietly with friends. The communal sitting arrangements ensure however that everyone is still together in an indirect kind of way.

The interior is a mixture of exposed brick, natural scrubbed wood and metal. It is rustic but charming. The natural basil plants atop the tables offer a heady aroma to the hungry patron and soften the almost industrial feel of the building.

This place is a bakery first and foremost with the added bonus of being able to eat the merchandise for a (very reasonable) price.

The Menu is simple but satisfying. Complete with grease stains from buttery fingers pawing over it!

All you can eat toast! Worth a visit just for that. And with bowlfuls of deliciously creamy butter. This place is heaven for the carb-addicts.

We chose the DIY menu, mostly for the novelty factor. I sprung to action, fuelled by my building hunger.

It was all very rustic meets industrial chic and I loved it!

Whilst the eggs were on to boil I cut up the hearty fresh loaf and put it in to toast. Then it was over to the table to apply lashings of butter, generously.