The Anglofiles: Noreen Adedeji on Recreating British Baking in America
British-born baker, Noreen Adedeji, knows that recreating a taste of home in America is not always straightforward. After moving to Virginia, she found herself adapting the classic recipes she grew up with to suit American ingredients and kitchens, a challenge that eventually inspired her to found London Oven.
Today, through her recipes and The London Oven Recipe Book, Noreen is helping both fellow Brits and curious Americans discover the joys of traditional British baking. We caught up with her to talk scones, flapjacks, golden syrup, and bringing a little taste of Britain across the Atlantic.
You're a British-born baker now living and thriving in Virginia. What do you miss most about the baking culture back home, and how did the transition to the US ultimately inspire you to found London Oven?
What I miss most is how wonderfully ordinary baking is in Britain. A Victoria sponge on a Tuesday, flapjacks sitting on the counter for no particular reason, a homemade cake appearing whenever someone pops round for tea. It's woven into everyday life.
When I moved to Virginia, I quickly discovered that the recipes I'd grown up with didn't quite behave the same way. Different flour, different cream, different ingredients altogether. I'd follow a trusted recipe and something would always be just slightly off. Eventually, I realized that if I was having this problem, plenty of other British expats, and curious American bakers, probably were too. London Oven was born from that challenge: bringing beloved British bakes into American kitchens without losing what makes them special.
Anyone who has tried to bake on the opposite side of the Atlantic knows the utter chaos of converting grams to cups, or hunting down ingredients like golden syrup. What was the trickiest part of rewriting these 20 traditional British bakes for American kitchens without losing their authentic soul?
Golden syrup was definitely the biggest puzzle. There's really nothing quite like it on American supermarket shelves. I spent far more time than I'd like to admit experimenting with flapjacks, trying to recreate that distinctive chew and caramel flavor without making them too sweet or sticky.
Flour was another challenge. British plain flour and American all-purpose flour behave differently, and those small differences can completely change the texture of a bake. There was a lot of trial and error. My benchmark was simple: a Brit should take a bite and feel at home, while an American should wonder why they've never been eating this all along.
Your website features some incredible, mouth-watering bakes like your Earl Grey London Tea Cakes, topped with cream cheese frosting, and a classic Victoria Sponge. For an American baker looking for the perfect "gateway" British recipe to try first, which of your signature creations do you recommend they start with?
Scones, every time.
They're quick, forgiving, and fill the kitchen with the smell of a proper British tearoom. Many Americans think scones are those dry, triangular coffee-shop pastries, but a traditional British scone is something entirely different. They are soft, light, and best served warm with jam and cream.
It's also the recipe that most often surprises people. I love hearing someone say, "I had no idea British baking was this easy." That reaction never gets old.
We noticed you have a genius substitute for British golden syrup in your Classic Flapjacks recipe. Without giving away all your kitchen secrets, how much trial and error did it take to master those classic UK textures using everyday US supermarket ingredients?
Let's just say there were a lot of flapjacks consumed in the name of research.
The trick was finding something that delivered both the texture and that slightly bittersweet caramel flavor that makes a flapjack a flapjack, rather than simply an oat bar. The answer was hiding in plain sight in American kitchens all along. Once I found it, it felt obvious.
I tested batch after batch on friends and family until the feedback shifted from polite encouragement to genuine excitement. That's when I knew I'd cracked it.
A beautiful element of The London Oven Recipe Book is that 20% of all sales are donated to the Richmond Public Schools culinary programs. As a 250-year-old charity ourselves, SGSNY loves seeing businesses dedicated to giving back. Why was it important to you to weave this specific charitable mission into your work?
Richmond is home now, and I firmly believe that food education changes lives. Learning to cook builds confidence, creativity and independence; skills that stay with young people long after they leave the classroom.
Richmond Public Schools has some fantastic culinary programs, and I'm currently exploring ways London Oven can support them in a meaningful and lasting way. I wanted the book to do more than share recipes. I wanted it to give something back to the community that has welcomed me so warmly.
Watch this space, there are some exciting conversations happening!
You have an exciting live television appearance coming up on CBS6 Virginia This Morning on June 11! What can viewers and home bakers look forward to seeing you whip up on screen?
I'm leaning towards scones, although I haven't made my final decision just yet. They are wonderfully British, after all.
More than anything, I want viewers to see that authentic British baking doesn't require specialist ingredients or a suitcase full of imports. Everything I make will be achievable with ingredients from a local American supermarket.
If I can convince a few people to head into the kitchen that afternoon and try a British bake for themselves, I'll consider it a success.
Find out more about Noreen and London Oven via her website: https://london-oven.com/