More than 171 years after Sally Lunn brought her bun-baking magic to Bath, the London Bath Bun made its debut at the Great Exhibition of 1851, where nearly 100,000 were consumed over five months.
In a similar fashion to the mass-market food produced in volume today, many corners were cut in order to ensure that supply met demand, and reports of the London Bath Bun’s poor quality were widespread amongst the chattering classes.Today, the London Bath Bun is often somewhat confusingly known as the Bath Bun – which is distinct from the Sally Lunn Bath Bun. Indeed a modern cafe has even named itself the Bath Bun Tea Shoppe . Although quality control standards are much higher in contemporary kitchens than they were back in 1851, the Bath Bun is small, doughy, and very sweet in comparison to the original brioche-esque Sally Lunn Bunn.