Step inside Leyton Midland’s newest arch on any given Friday afternoon and the boys – Jack and James, pictured above – will be very busy indeed. Under its curved aluminium ceiling, dozens of uncooked pasties lie on wooden benches in neat rows, while moveable metal shelves of both cooked and uncooked pies await their fate. The former will end up out west at Queen’s Park Farmers’ Market, while the latter are sold straight from the oven right here in Leyton, when the bakery opens weekly on Saturdays.
Although it’s only been trading for a few weeks, Win’s already feels like something of a local institution. It helps that it’s handily located on the buzzing stretch of Tilbury Road between Swirl and Chop Shop Tavern. On the first day, the queue stretched to the “back of the car park”, says Whitechapel-based owner Jack, and they shifted at least two hundred pies. When I visit, the second weekend is about to kick off – and they’re heads down, bracing themselves for an even bigger turn-out (we all know how strong word-of-mouth is in these parts).
Win’s is named “after my nan,” Jack explains. “She was the first person to take me to a local family baker’s, all of which are going bust now. So, I’m trying to recreate the homely, traditional British baker with the essence of warm northern hospitality.” And this – what he calls an “honest bakery harking back to the family shops you frequented as a child” – is a refreshing new angle for an East London scene dominated by intricate Insta-friendly patisserie.
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As an experienced former butcher, it’s no opportunistic pivot, either. “I worked with whole carcasses for around a year and a half, including a year’s stint at [EC2 nose-to-tail restaurant] Manteca. It was then that I decided I wanted to make pies.” The Tilbury Road unit came about after advice from one of the owners of Broadway Market’s legendary butchers Hill & Szrok, who lives in Leyton. “At first I wasn’t sure about it,” he says, “but I’m so glad I did.” He now uses a butcher in Berkshire, who source all their meat locally.
For early birds, a bestseller before midday are the six-quid bacon barms (you can arrive from 9am; uncooked pies to take home and bake are also available). But on my visit, I taste two signature small pies – also a reasonable £6 – still warm from the oven.
First up is a creamy blend of chicken, leek and smoked bacon, as comforting as a savoury pie gets. The real winner – at least for my tastebuds – is the satisfyingly umami-packed beef and carrot, “slow-cooked for eight hours,” he says, using porter from next door’s Libertalia Brewery. “We mainly use shin to get the gelatinous unctuous mouthfeel.” He’s not wrong: best of all, the golden-crusted pastry doesn’t collapse, holding its innards until the final mouthful. So if you can’t wait – as I couldn’t – you can scoff these little beauties right there in the car park.
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As well as vegan options, there are specials and one-offs: at the moment it’s venison and root vegetable. “Generally I try to keep it pretty consistent: what I’ve learned is that people do like classic pies.” And pasty fillings are equally mouthwatering, whether it’s saag aloo and onion bhaji, cheese and onion, hot chicken, or beef shortrib with potato, parsley and horseradish. As for the sausage rolls? They were so popular last week that apparently local WhatsApp groups are raving about them.
Will there be any new items planned for spring? “I’m not going to fiddle around with it too much,” he says, “but for Easter, I’ll introduce a lamb hot pot pie. And with the pasties, I’m going to be doing some quite radical things, like currywurst.” At this point he shows me the Notes section on his iPhone – which reveals hundreds of combos. “We’ll be getting the wood smoker out soon and making smoked meat sandwiches and pasties for the summer, too,” he adds.
The bakery is proving popular with young families, so Jack and James also plan to up the sweet treats. “There are rhubarb turnovers, which we pipe custard into, apple crumble tarts and chocolate chip cookies,” he says. Set your alarm: this is one queue that won’t get any shorter. Follow @wins_ldn
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