In Oxford
Gatineau
Description
Situated in the upmarket Summertown area of Oxford, Gatineau patisserie offers the finest artisan produce in the French / European patisserie and boulangerie tradition: premium cakes, pastries, savouries and bread – all made with the highest quality ingredients, creative flair, taste combination s and attention to detail.
Further Info
- Location / Region Summertown
- Listing categories Restaurants / Cafe / European
Contact
- Website http://www.gatineau.uk.com
- Phone 20215 311779
- Address 209 Banbury Rd, Sumertown, Oxford OX2 7HQ
Map
Opening Hours
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Closed | 7:00 am - 6:30 pm | 7:00 am - 6:30 pm | 7:00 am - 6:30 pm | 7:00 am - 6:30 pm | 7:00 am - 5:00 pm | 8:30 am - 2:30 pm |
Audrey Vallée
• 25th January 2021Coming from France, it was nice to have the opportunity to meet Fabien Gautier, the manager and company director who works with Hervé Gatineau, the owner of this wonderful patisserie and bakery in Oxford. Because almost all of Gatineau’s team is French and as the smell of bread perfumed the entire store, I could feel at home for a while…!
After 10 years working at Maison Blanc, Hervé Gatineau wanted to have his own business and decided to open his bakery in 2021. His main goal was to create the French touch in Oxford, in a local area where it is enjoyable to live, and Summertown seemed to be the perfect place.
A few years ago, the team decided to arrange the place differently and to open up the kitchen directly to the customers. It is now possible for the public to watch the team making their bread and patisseries whilst they choose what to buy – it’s a great mix. They wanted to show the clientele that everything is made on site; especially that it is cooked the same day by professional chefs. This new format entertains the children as much as the adults. Furthermore, the smell of fresh bread coming out of the oven is reminiscent of French bakeries.
Gatineau offers a wide range of French cakes and viennoiseries that you cannot find anywhere else in Oxford. Croissants, pains au chocolat, brioches not forgetting to mention chocolate cake, éclairs, macaroons and many other pastries, are exactly the same as French ones! Because of the lack of space in the premises and how much hard work it is for the chefs (who start working at 3.30 in the morning!) they cannot offer everything they wanted. However, because of the Gatineau’s success and the desire to satisfy its customers, Gatineau has some ideas to grow its business (but I will keep those a secret).
As a typical French person, I am really meticulous concerning the baking of bread. I had the chance to taste one of the three kinds of baguettes Gatineau offer (white, poppy-seed and rustic). It is perfect: crispy outside and not too cooked inside. Just delicious!
Actually, it is not surprising since it is really important for them to have the highest quality. This is the reason why each special ingredient is imported from France by an English company – the butter and milk, for example come from Normandy, to make the best bread and cakes on site. Otherwise, they make absolutely everything, except chocolate which requires a special room to be made, but I suppose we can forgive them that!
Gatineau has built its reputation in Oxfordshire and works with several cafés and restaurants. So, if you do not have the opportunity to come to Summertown, you still have the chance to try some of Gatineau’s speciality cakes at one of their partnerships establishments, such as the Organic Café or the Grand Café, located in the heart of Oxford.