Latest news with #BestLoaf2025
Asahi Shimbun
15-07-2025
- Business
- Asahi Shimbun
Japanese baker takes on best of British and wins with deft touch
Miyo Aoetsu's Lemon and Earl Grey Loaf was named Britain's Best Loaf 2025. (Provided by Miyo Aoetsu) Miyo Aoetsu is on a roll. The artisan baker from Japan scooped Britain's Best Loaf 2025 for her brioche infused with lemon and Earl Grey tea. It was the second time the Tokushima Prefecture native has won. She previously triumphed in 2023. Her secret ingredient involves a Japanese twist. 'Baking is where I can live,' said Aoetsu, 55. Open to professional bakers, the annual competition is organized by industry magazine British Baker. This year's competition, held in April, attracted an unprecedented 200 or so entries, split into eight categories. The winner in each category was eligible to be named overall competition winner. Aoetsu runs Kuma-San Bakehouse from her home in Derbyshire, a county in the East Midlands of England. She also won in the Innovation category. Aoetsu's achievement in taking on the best of British is even more remarkable because she only got into baking as a hobby 15 years ago. ADDING A FLAVOR OF HOME The winning loaf was kneaded with the leaves of Earl Grey, limoncello-flavored candied lemon peel and Belgian chocolate. Thinking it tasted weak just with lemon, Aoetsu added the juice of Kito 'yuzu' from the Kito district of Naka, Tokushima Prefecture. It is a taste from Aoetsu's childhood. Every time she returns home to Komatsushima in the prefecture, Aoetsu makes sure to stock up on the citrus fruit. She added the juice to butter spread on the loaf as a final flourish. Even with the Japanese flavor, she aimed for a taste that can be enjoyed by locals. The finished product boasts the aroma of lemon and a delicate hint of Earl Grey while offering a refreshing flavor that only yuzu can deliver. Aoetsu baked between 40 and 50 prototype loaves to get it right. She worked through the night before the competition. It was 5 a.m. when she finished baking the award-winning loaf. Aoetsu couldn't help but raise her clenched fists and jump for joy when it was announced she had won. BEGINNER AT 40 After graduating from Tokushima University, Aoetsu enrolled at Naruto University of Education's graduate school. She went on to study at the University of Manchester's graduate school, where she met her future British husband, David Hampson, 57. Aoetsu was 40 when she baked her first loaf. Back then, she was a full-time homemaker. Aoetsu took up baking as a hobby because she wanted to eat the kind of bread she'd had in France when she lived there briefly. Aoetsu learned how to bake from tutorials she found online. She became enthralled with getting the yeast mix just right and watching her bread rise. Aoetsu placed second when she entered the competition in 2019 to test her skills. She opened Kuma-San Bakehouse at the behest of her future customers. Because it is a member-only bakery, she accepts pre-orders and asks customers to pick up their loaves on Saturdays. It is more of a bread club than a bakery. When she won in 2023, it was for bread flavored with 'matcha' powdered green tea. The loaf looked bright green when it was sliced open, which she said drew cheers from the judges. At the time, sales were weaker due to the recession. In desperation, she decided to enter the contest to promote her bread and attract attention. In Japan, matcha pairs well with 'anko' sweet azuki bean paste. But her husband advised her that it wouldn't appeal to the British palate, so she mixed the dough with white chocolate. BAKING AS A WAY OF LIFE 'My baking is all about combining Japanese and Western cultures,' Aoetsu said. It also reflects her way of life. 'It is not easy to live among Brits,' the artisan baker added. 'My weakness is being Japanese, but my strength is also being Japanese. I learned the importance of going back to my roots to make use of my strength.' 'I want to continue with trial and error in terms of fusing Japanese and Western cultures. I'm meant to convey the Japanese taste,' Aoetsu said with a smile. Because some customers asked her to teach them her baking skills, she is preparing to remodel her kitchen at home to offer a baking class.
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Poole baker takes home gold medal for 'interesting' loaf in national award
A baker from Poole has won a national award for his unique loaf of bread. Mark Bennett's Thai Focaccia was awarded the Gold Medal for Innovation Britain's Best Loaf 2025 at the NEC Birmingham on Tuesday April 8. He said: 'It means a lot for me and the business, because although it's me making the bread, it's the business that means everything really. 'You've got to keep pushing, keep trying to go forward with new flavours and ideas otherwise your customers will get bored,' he joked. Mark Bennett (Image: Mark Bennett) The loaf made is with chilli, garlic, ginger, lemongrass and toasted sesame oil and customers can purchase it at Mark Bennett Patisserie over the Easter weekend. Mark began baking at 15-years-old and worked in his family's bakery business, Bennett's Family Bakers in Poole, before opening his own business in Penn Hill 2012. Mark said he was inspired to make the loaf after his love Chinese and Thai flavours. 'I thought it was quite an interesting loaf when I first made it, but I practised it, and everybody seemed to think it was something special and very different.' Mark's Thai Focaccia won the Gold Medal Award for Innovation in Britain's Best Loaf 2025. (Image: Mark Bennett) He has won 58 bakery awards over his career and has previously baked cakes for the Royal Family, including Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee cake, and the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson. 'I've competed all my life and I love competition. I just love the bakery trade and I'm very lucky it's not just my job, it's a hobby,' said Mark. 'When I compete it gives me time to come up with new flavours that get passed on into the shop. 'I've been out of competition for a few years so to come out of retirement in a way and win a gold medal, I was very pleased with that.' Even with the recent success of the award, Mark said he is not resting on his laurels and will be submitting three new bakes for the upcoming Baking Industry Awards: a French onion soup Loaf topped with Gruyère cheese, caramelised onions and thyme, a chai and chocolate babka and a yet-to-be-determined third submission. Mark Bennett Patisserie has six locations across Poole and Christchurch, open throughout the week.
