What is deemed as an inappropriate time to start a business in 2020, Tom Stafford has made it work with Doh’hut by selling the best doughnuts in town. I’ve always loved these stories of small businesses rising from the year of the pandemic and see them still thriving today. Anyhow, Doh’hut has made its mark as the best doughnut shop in Leeds and is now expanding its footprint by venturing down south into the London market!
Doh’hut London joins the exciting food line-up at Exmouth Market in Clerkenwell. It is a small but charming little site that’s currently only available for takeaways. A large window inside the shop shows snippets of the doughmaking process, which then leads you to the main counter with all the doughnut flavours on display. Coffee & teas are also available at the shop.
Doh’hut: Award-Winning Doughnuts from Leeds to London
The story of doughnuts started well before 2020 from the spark of an idea during a road trip in the USA, to catering for small events & moving operations from Tom’s own flat to a food truck, before the actual shop of Doh’hut materialised in Trevelyan Square of Leeds. Throughout this time, Doh’hut competed in the British St. Food award and won both the Northern Heat in Leeds and the national finals in London. This then brought them to Berlin for the European St food award finals and they ended up winning the best dessert there as well!
Doh’hut’s Quintessentially British Flavours & Unique Savoury Dagel Doughnut
I strongly believe one of the key reasons behind Doh’hut’s success, other than being the first artisan doughnut shop in Leeds, is its quintessentially British flavours – something that everyone in the UK can relate to. Tom was very much inspired by Morrisons’ raspberry jam doughnuts, which he used to buy pack after pack during his childhood and school days. He went on to develop his own recipe and added on other classic iterations such as vanilla cream and chocolate ganache. These three main flavours aside, Doh’hut also releases weekly special flavours which you wouldn’t want to miss out on.
What We Ordered at Doh’hut
Date of visit: May 2023
Cream Cheese Doughnut (a.k.a the Dagel) (£3.75)
Imagine a classic cream cheese bagel but in the form of a doughnut – that’s what the Dagel is about! Coated with sesame seeds on the outside, the doughnut offers a lovely light crisp on the outside, while the inside oozes a generous amount of cream cheese. A sprinkle of chives added a slight garlicky & onion touch that nicely perked up the overall flavour profile of the doughnut. I don’t know about you but I’d take this Dagel over a traditional cream cheese bagel any day!
Chocolate Ganache Doughnut (£3.75)
Then we went for a classic Chocolate Ganache Doughnut. Again, the doughnut was very generously filled with chocolate. Whilst sweet & decadent, it did feel a tad bit too rich to taste. Finished with a small piece of brownie sitting prettily on top, we left feeling that was certainly more than enough chocolate for the day. But that aside, we thought the doughnut was very well crafted, with the perfect fluffy texture and sugary coating.
Review Summary
Doh’hut is a delightful addition to the London scene and has already gained a lot of popularity from the get-go. Despite the existing big doughnut names such as Bread Ahead & St John etc., Doh’hut certainly has its own ground in the market with its unique qualities & vision. If you love doughnuts, it should definitely be one on the list to check out!
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Food
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Value for Money
