Authentic French bakery Pierre Alix opens in Holloway Road

Founder Pierre Alix opened his first bakery with his wife Florence in Muswell Hill Broadway in 2021.

Now Boulangerie Pierre Alix has opened a second shop in Holloway Road, Highbury, on November 21.

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Everything is prepared in small batches, and Pierre is wary of expanding too fast.

"We grow but we don't want to grow too quickly. Too fast and the quality will be compromised," he said.

"We are very proud of our product. We have the capacity to open this second shop but I don't want to be a chain because I know that the next step is the quality will go down.

Sourdough loaves and fresh buttery pastries at Pierre Alix Boulangerie in Holloway Road (Image: Nathalie Raffray)

"My promise is to offer quality to the customer."

All the artisanal breads and pastries are made in full view of customers. Pierre was trained in the "authentic French way" and uses a fermentation process to make his sourdough breads, which use a culture of natural yeast.

The Islington Gazette did a taste test of the buttery croissants at Pierre Alix Boulangerie (Image: Nathalie Raffray) French butter is imported to make the pastries, and can be tasted within the flaky layers of the croissants.

"Everything is baked in the morning using organic flour. My promise is to offer the customer the best experience. We don't use additives," he added.

Early morning in Pierre Alix Boulangerie in Holloway Road which has more seating space than the outlet in Muswell Hill where produce is baked (Image: Nathalie Raffray)

Before training as a baker, Pierre worked in business management and lived with his wife Flo, a paralympic wheelchair tennis champion, and twin daughters in Nantes, France.

The 40-year-old had a long-held goal of becoming a baker and in 2020 left his job and his family to go to catering school in the south of France.

Covid temporarily halted his plans but he was able to finish the course when the pandemic lifted.

The family moved to London in December 2021, just before Brexit laws came into force.

He added: "We arrived just before Brexit where we had the authorisation to work. For us it is OK but now I have French bakers who want to come but I can't authorise them because it is too expensive to sponsor them.

"The tricky thing for us is finding good staff here.

"So many young people want to come but now they are all going to Dublin." 

With 12 core staff and five part-time staff across both businesses, Pierre knows the quality he is providing.

He said: "I want my staff to be proud of what they are producing and doing. The promise is quality and craft."