Lily VanilliBakery

Lily Jones, once a graphic designer, started Lily Vanilli as a market stall off Brick Lane in 2008 and has run her bakery from a courtyard off Columbia Road ever since, open at the weekend when the flower market fills the street. The baking is exacting and a little theatrical — seasonal, from scratch, with a cult following for the cakes — and it has stayed a single, owner-run bakery rather than a brand. Time your visit to a Sunday, buy from the counter, and eat it among the flowers.