In the Walthamstow neighborhood of East London, general practitioner Hai Lin Leung operates an unconventional bakery out of her home kitchen. Under the name Lucky Yu Bakery, Leung sells Cantonese-inspired baked goods such as congee sourdough, pineapple buns (bolo bao), and cocktail buns (gai mei bao) through a small window in her residence. Customers place orders online or arrive spontaneously, often forming queues that stretch along the street. Despite its lack of a formal storefront or fixed hours, Lucky Yu has gained recognition, including a spot on the Good Food Guide’s list of the UK’s 50 best bakeries in 2026.

Leung launched Lucky Yu in 2023 while continuing her medical career, describing the venture as a "Swiss cheese effect" where serendipitous opportunities aligned. Her baking practice is tightly woven into her life, pursued alongside her workload as a doctor. She trained in bread and pastry at The School of Artisan Food in Nottinghamshire after volunteering at Better Health Bakery, a now-closed social enterprise. For her diploma, she developed a signature loaf blending soy sauce and rice congee with sesame-coated sourdough, reflecting her interest in ancient Chinese grains and heritage crops.

Leung’s baking philosophy embraces experimentation and diversity. Alongside traditional offerings like pineapple buns, she produces innovative items such as spring onion, fuyu, and Parmesan buns; mala tomato jam, goat’s curd, and coriander buns; and mushroom char siu puffs. Her inspiration draws from multiple culinary traditions, including the Hong Kong bakeries of her heritage, Japanese bread-making, and European kitchens where she trained. Past workplace experiences include the pastry kitchens at St John, an English nose-to-tail restaurant, and Bageriet, a Swedish bakery in Covent Garden.

Operating without the constraints of a full-scale bakery allows Leung creative freedom but also entails demanding schedules. She often begins baking in the early hours on weekends before opening her pickup window mid-morning. Her partner and friends assist with preparation, customer service, and managing inventory. Though she plans to complete her general practitioner training by November 2027 and expects to continue practicing medicine, Leung does not envision turning Lucky Yu into a full-time business, citing concerns about sustainability and workload.

Leung values the direct engagement her home-based bakery fosters between herself and her local community, describing the experience as deeply rewarding and restorative. She views baking as a complementary pursuit that allows her to balance professional and personal passions, challenging conventional career expectations. “I’m developing these two careers side by side,” she notes, “but it feels sort of unconventional, but still legitimate.”