Knead is a bakery and patisserie empire with a mobile bakery van and a couple of stores around the Cotswolds. But only one is set on a complex that also has a padel court, boujie gym, and a butcher with meat that can accurately be described as good-looking. Enter, Knead Elkstone. Much of your time at Knead will be spent deciding what to order because the menu has been written by someone who knows a brunch-lover's deepest darkest desires. A porchetta eggs benedict is a big yes, so is the carbonara french toast. Not all of the twists work—crispy duck, for instance, has no business being on a buttermilk waffle here—but there are more hits than misses. You can get your pastries—glossy, golden puffed-up pain au chocolats and almond croissants—to go, but then you’d miss out on the magic of Knead’s dining space. Outside is best, in the highly heated (the patio heaters are no joke), covered space. It’s filled with snuggly cushions, small trees trussed up with fairy lights, and happy families sipping cappuccinos. It’s a Hallmark card come to life, and mornings don’t come much more wholesome than this.