Bread Talk at Paul

The warm way to start your day!

The history of PAUL is the story of one family’s love of good food and passionate commitment to the best traditional baking methods over more than 100 years. In 1889, a small local bakery opened in Croix near Lille in Northern France. Four generations later the PAUL name is known throughout France and, increasingly, around the world.

Charlemagne Mayot and his wife were the proprietors of that first small shop in Croix. The business passed down the female line of the family until Charlemagne’s granddaughter, Suzanne, married Julien Holder. They took over another local bakery in Lille called PAUL. Because the name was well-known and respected, they decided to keep it.

When Julien died in 1958, his son Francis took over the business. Francis had trained in all aspects of patisserie and baking, and bread-making was always his first love. When he took control of PAUL, he maintained the traditional, labour-intensive methods of bread-making that had been handed down through the family since the 19th Century, deliberately bucking the trend of factory mass-production, and ALWAYS insisting on the best quality ingredients. He believes the French make the best bread in the world, and PAUL’s success, both nationally and internationally, suggests that his customers agree.

Francis is still Chairman of PAUL today and his vision and drive have ensured that his sons, David and Maxime, have joined him in managing a very substantial and much-loved business.

Last year, in the UK alone, PAUL served 777,504 retail customers, 160,563 covers in their two café restaurants, sold 125,821 Flûtes, 142,821 400 gram loaves, 120,299 croissants, 27,880 strawberry tartelettes, 63,218 capuccinos, 16,723 large fruit tartes and used over 168,075 kilos of Camp Rémy flour to make its white bread.

Bread is really a part of French culture. In France, the French are used to going to the bakery every day to buy fresh bread. To the French, bread is a vital component of almost every meal, and should be treated with respect and imagination. The philosophy is very simple: excellent bread depends on excellent ingredients and time-honoured methods of production.

PAUL has always been a community bakery, bringing the authentic taste of real French baking to its local customers. Whether they meet at our cafes to chat with friends over a coffee and a pastry, or take PAUL's food home to enjoy with friends, PAUL is dedicated to sharing its passion for food with its customers all over the world.

PAUL Bakery and Restaurant