Latest news with #BritishBaker
Time Out
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
The UK's best loaf of bread has been crowned for 2025
Good bread is one of life's greatest pleasures. If you ask us, few things beat a perfectly chewy slice of sourdough, a gorgeously crisp slab of focaccia or a warm, steaming roll of ciabatta. The joy of bread is that it comes in all sorts of different shapes, sizes and flavours. But which one is the greatest of them all? Every year, British Baker evaluates hundreds of loaves of bread to determine which one can be called the very best in the country. For 2025 a lemon and earl grey tea brioche from Kuma-San Bakehouse in Derbyshire was awarded the grand title of Britain's Best Loaf. The judging panel, made up of 14 experts from Britain's bread industry, praised the sweet, squidgy bake for its 'unique flavour profile featuring earl grey tea and limoncello-soaked candied lemon peel, combined with lemon curd and juice for a zesty, aromatic finish'. Finished off with white chocolate and pearl sugar, one judge said it was a bread that 'took you on a journey' to the Italian Riviera. The loaf was created by Japanese baker Miyo Aoetsu, who won the top prize back in 2023 too, for her matcha, white chocolate and fruit loaf. She told BBC News that the key ingredient of this year's winning loaf is the Japanese citrus fruit, yuzu. Aoetsu revealed that she made around 45 loaves before she felt that she had nailed it. She added: 'In the last few years in Japan, the combination of earl grey tea and citrus fruits like lemon has been really trendy so people make a lot of cakes and cookies with these. 'So I started to think about making a bread with these combinations... I like the subtle aroma of tea when used in baking. 'I baked and baked and baked until I was confident it would be ready for the competition.' There were eight categories in this year's awards. The lemon and earl grey brioche also won in the innovation category while the prize for best flavoured sourdough went to Cumbrian bakery Lovingly Artisan's dark chocolate malt and orange loaf and best wholegrain went to the rye sourdough with sunflower seeds by Oxford's Natural Bread. The overall prize for best loaf has remained in Derbyshire for the past three years, with the 2024 title going to 4 Eyes Bakery in Chesterfield for its garlic and rosemary deep pan focaccia.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kendal: Lovingly Artisan bakery wins national award
A North West bakery which operates in Kendal has won a prestigious award for its dark chocolate malt with orange loaf. Lovingly Artisan, which also has bakeries in Altrincham and Manchester, was crowned the winner of the flavoured sourdough category at the annual Britain's Best Loaf Award. The category and overall champions were announced at the UK Food & Drink Shows on Tuesday, April 8, at the NEC Birmingham. The winners from each of the eight award categories were selected from more than 200 entries in this year's 12th awards. The award categories included flavoured sourdough, gluten free, innovation, international, plain sourdough, seeded sourdough, white and wholegrain. Alongside the overall category winners' awards, gold, silver and bronze awards were also announced, recognising the quality of the loaves presented for judging. This saw Lovingly Artisan collect a gold award for their dark rye berry loaf in the innovation category, a silver award in the wholegrain category for their malted barley sourdough, and a silver award in the flavoured sourdough category for their spiced apple and sultana sourdough. The judges, remarking on Lovingly Artisan's win in the flavoured sourdough category, said: "This loaf secured the highly commended award in the 2024 competition, rising to become the category champion this year. "Fragranced with Mediterranean orange peel, studded with Belgian chocolate and enriched with the natural sweetness of brewers' chocolate malt, this little tin loaf was made for luxurious weekends. "As well as the divine flavour, the judges were won over by the technical ability demonstrated in the loaf, highlighting the baker's skill in producing a perfect bake." Commenting on Lovingly Artisan Bakery's win, Aidan Monks and Catherine Connor, co-owners, said: "It's a real honour to win the overall flavoured sourdough category title, especially after collecting the highly commended award in 2024. "Collecting a gold and two silver awards as well is the icing on the cake. "As a bakery, we try to innovate and progress in everything we do. "As a team, we share ideas and develop processes, all to deliver quality well-made breads to every single one of our customers. "But as with any award like this, you're only as good as the people around you. "Ours is a family business, and without the help of our bakery family, we wouldn't be where we are today as a business. "So, I'd like to say a big thank you to every single member of the team for helping us deliver excellence in all that we do." This year's expert judging panel included Amy North, editor of British Baker, Bertie Matthews, MD of Matthews Cotswold Flour, Clare Barton, owner of Bakehouse 124, Dan Riley, deputy editor of British Baker, and Dennis Everaers, from Rademaker. Further judges included Gareth Edwards, from ADM Fillings, John Foster MBE, from Fosters Bakery, John Lamper, from ISB, Tesco, Louise West from National Food and Drink Training, and Neil Woods, a bakery consultant. Nick Pearce from Brook Food & Bakery Equipment, Tom Martin from The Bread Factory, and William Leet from David Wood Baking also judged the competition. Amy North, the editor of British Baker, said: "It was another record-breaking year for Britain's Best Loaf as we received more entries than ever. "It certainly wasn't a case of quantity over quality, though, as the standard on display was outstanding." She added: "I would like to thank the sponsors, judges, and entrants for not only making Britain's Best Loaf 2025 possible, but also making it a triumphant competition. "The spectacular breads we saw were a real testament to the skill, commitment, and imagination of bakers across the UK."
Telegraph
20-04-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Brioche infused with Earl Grey tea is UK's best loaf
A brioche loaf infused with Earl Grey tea has been crowned as the UK's best. It saw off competition from 200 other loaves to claim the top prize after impressing judges with its 'unique flavour profile'. The loaf, featuring Earl Grey tea and limoncello -soaked candied lemon peel, was combined with lemon curd and juice to provide a 'zesty, aromatic finish'. Its creator, Miyo Aoetsu, 55, said it had taken her 45 trial bakes before she created one worthy of entry to the competition, run by trade magazine British Baker. 'I was speechless when I won,' she told the BBC after winning both Britain's Best Loaf and the Innovation category. 'I was very happy, I was almost screaming on the stage.' Ms Aoetsu said the limoncello gave the loaf a 'kick' but that the secret ingredient had been yuzu, a Japanese citrus fruit. 'In the last few years in Japan, the combination of Earl Grey tea and citrus fruits like lemon has been really trendy so people make a lot of cakes and cookies with these,' she continued. 'So I started to think about making a bread with these combinations. I like the subtle aroma of tea when used in baking.' It was the second time Ms Aoetsu had won the best loaf prize, after emerging victorious in 2023 with her green loaf flavoured with matcha, white chocolate and fruit. She now runs Kuma-San Bakehouse from her home in Darley Dale, Derbyshire, having started baking as a hobby. Ms Aoetsu moved to the UK to study at the University of Manchester before meeting her husband. The prestigious award has not left Derbyshire after another baker in the county, 4 Eyes Bakery, based in Staveley, near Chesterfield, won with its garlic and rosemary deep pan focaccia creation last year. 'It's a great thing to keep the award here,' she added.'I know Tom [at 4 Eyes Bakery] who won it last year... he's an excellent baker and I'm glad this award remains in the county. 'To have it still in Derbyshire is a wonderful thing, because the quality of bread in this area is fantastic.'
