Deep diving into the ‘Pastrycore’ trend

The Cult of Baked Goods seems to be exponentially growing with no endpoint in sight.

The sight of queues down the road for ‘hype’ bakeries with particularly viral items is not uncommon. A humble sausage roll from Newcastle became part of the national conversation. ‘Pastry tourism’ is now officially a thing, with people travelling from literally all over the world to sample a pistachio Paris Brest. Meanwhile, ‘Cronuts’ went from being an outlandish high-end baked mash-up in 2012 to being on every Starbucks menu. All the while, the Great British Bake-Off was bringing in up to 9.2 million viewers.

And that's not even mentioning the wild merchandising that has been gracing media titles (..and LinkedIn) as a demonstration that fandom knows no creative bounds and brands will go to great lengths to showcase that.

But, it’s all a bit weird, isn’t it? That suddenly the biggest blockbuster of the Summer isn’t the latest Marvel release, but a pistachio and rose rugelach from a bakery in the middle of an industrial estate in Hackney Wick. Started by two ex-St. John Bread & Wine bakers, the nutty product sells out in 5 minutes, and keen customers have to pre-order two weeks in advance!

Baked appeal

That something as unassuming as baked leavened dough is having a cultural moment merits a bit of prodding, we reckon. After all, our jobs sometimes can be dictated by, or at least guided by, whatever trend seems to be happening at any given moment.

My theory is that this has been in the works for many years and only now is beginning to reach fever-pitch levels with multiple touchpoints helping it get bigger and more ridiculous year-on-year.

A quick timeline shows that Pastrycore has been slowly baking for quite some time, with influences coming from all over the world (America, France, UK, Malaysia, Turkey, etc). It feels like we have been in the process of mass-scale-pastry-seduction for some time now - and through humble but well-measured ingredients, precise timing and a few IYKYK tools of the trade, we’re now completely enamoured.

NB: This is completely reductive and entirely opinion-based and in no way based in fact whatsoever. Enjoy!

The WI

The perpetuation of precise pastry has to, at least in part, be put down to the Women’s Institute, which has been keeping a close eye on the quality of our baking for many years.

The original influencers of British baking culture. Fostering reverence for well-made cakes.

This, in turn, has given rise to people seeing baking as a science to be perfected… and perfected…and perfected.

By experts. Who know what they’re doing. Which leads to...

Paul Hollywood

As he’s the only ‘surviving’ (long live MB) member of the Great British Bake-Off OG judging panel I’m going to attribute the ‘rise’ of Pastrycore to him in part because this all started surely when this programme began to attract more and more viewers.

I know people hate him, but he’s a crucial part of this story.

GBBO became a sensation in which the BBC trumpeted a very particular Britishness: one which was a little rose-tinted but also contemporary and made us all feel good about being from Blighty.

Thanks to cakes.

You could argue that Chef’s Table did a lot for pastries too, but it’s also focused on so many other types of cookery that this renders it obsolete (in this timeline).

Meanwhile…

Greggsification

Greggs expanded its operations, moving beyond the North and conquering high streets up and down the country, raising the profile and making pastries a cosy and accessible, delicious, affordable on-the-go snack and brought its iconic masterpiece, the sausage roll, to wider consciousness with its 96 layers of flaky pastry.

Then:

Gentrification

Greggs may have expanded its operations, but that in turn gave rise to inevitable premiumisation. Gails was a phenomenon in its first iteration, and this in turn meant Pophams, which gave rise to St John Bread & Wine, etc, etc.

The trend is typified by the usual suspect: Sourdough. Focaccia. Beignets. Paris Brest.

Sausage rolls are still on the menu (they always will be as far as I’m concerned) but tastes for something with a little bit of sparkle began to creep in.

So, inevitably..

Status Dough

When you eat with your eyes first and your eyes happen to be glued to a phone - this was pastry’s big break.

Food influencers are rife with drool-worthy content. Their whole sector thrives on finding places and dishes you don’t know about which claim to do the best x y and z in town - and then they’re absolutely flooded with people which they don’t have the capacity to even feed.

Pastries became flamboyant, garish - beyond artisanal - into something which more represented a kind of statement about who you are, less about your actual taste in food, to attract more and more photos, likes and follows.

Which leads us finally to …

Peak Pastrycore

When you’re swimming in a sea of bakery merch and obscure reference tote bags with people swinging their Lidl croissant bags with Greggs charm bracelets on their wrists whilst queueing for two hours for the latest viral cherry tart as people ‘instagram’ the literal shit out their boxes of beignets - you know we’ve hit Peak Pastrycore.

The rise in consumer demand for artisanal products has led to an increase in small bakery businesses. More than 90% of bakery businesses in the UK have 50 employees or fewer, indicating a robust presence of independent bakeries.

Experience has won out over materialism in a sense because we all want to live - i.e eat pastries in public - not mindlessly consume.

But that has gone full circle and now we just wear all of the things that indicate we’re not materialists but actually out there, living our lives, eating pastries … and wearing t-shirts and hats to prove it.

Pastrycore is just another facet of a post-Covid world which wants to prioritise experience over ‘stuff’. It’s no longer just food, it’s fashion, performance, ritual. We’re not so much eating pastry as participating in it.

The rise of Pastrycore signals more than just a consumer trend — it reflects broader shifts in how food operates within culture, economy, and identity. In this context, Pastrycore is less about the pastry itself and more about what it represents — a convergence of nostalgia, refinement, scarcity, and identity expression.

Pastrycore’s rise speaks to the contemporary appetite for objects that are both materially satisfying and socially meaningful. As everyday items become platforms for self-curation and cultural commentary, it’s no surprise that the croissant has become as telling as a handbag, pair of trainers or jewellery.