The team behind Northwest-based bakery Lovingly Artisan, which operates in Altrincham and Kendal in the Lake District, discovered earlier this week that they had won a highly regarded award for their innovative Dark Chocolate Malt with Orange loaf in the annual Brian’s Best Loaf Award, taking the overall Flavoured Sourdough title.
The category and overall champions were announced at the UK Food & Drink Shows on Tuesday, 08th April, at the NEC Birmingham. The winners from each of the eight award categories were selected from among 200-plus entries in this year’s 12th awards.
Award categories included Flavoured Sourdough, Gluten Free, Innovation, International, Plain Sourdough, Seeded Sourdough, White and Wholegrain, with the overall winner of Britain’s Best Loaf chosen from among them.
Alongside the overall category winners’ awards, gold, silver and bronze awards were also announced, recognising the quality of the loaves presented for judging. Which 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.
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, Dennis Everaers, from Rademaker, Gareth Edwards, from ADM Fillings, John Foster MBE, from Fosters Bakery, John Lamper, from ISB, Tesco, Louise West from National Food and Drink Training, Neil Woods a bakery consultant, Nick Pearce from Brook Food & Bakery Equipment, Tom Martin from The Bread Factory and Willaim Leet from David Wood Baking.
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.’’
Adding: ‘’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.’’
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 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, co-owners Aidan Monks and Catherine Connor remarked: ‘’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 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.’’
