Britain’s Best Loaf round up
We would like to pass on our congratulations to all the winners and highly commended at the event this year, all loaves looked too good to eat!
ADM Milling UK have been proud sponsors of Britain’s Best Loaf since the start of the pandemic and finally in 2022 the event went ahead live and in person.
This year team ADM was represented by:
Anna Perz – Product Development and Application Manager
Ben Windrow – Account Manager
Anna was asked to be part of this year’s judging panel, here’s what she had to say about the day:
“On 25th of April I attended my first ever judging competition organised by the British Baker. When coming to the stand I was instantly hit by a lovely smell of baked goods and saw a wonderful display of wide variety of bread carefully placed on the display for everyone to see alongside a table of bread entered into the competition.”
“Fellow judges and I were tasked to choose the Best British Loaf as well as best in each of the categories which included: white, wholegrain, gluten free, plain sourdough, sourdough with other ingredients and innovation. There were 13 judges in total and we were split into teams to judge selected categories. Myself alongside bakery owner and last year’s gluten free category winner Alexandra Vaughan as well as Baking Industry Expert and Craft Bakers Association President Neil Woods were judging two categories – wholegrain and gluten free.
When judging we saw a huge selection of finished products and ingredients used. We needed to score each loaf baked on its appearance, internal structure, taste and aroma – all this was live with the audience watching our every move. The highest scoring product won each of the categories. After all the loaves were scored all the judges met to choose the Best British Loaf. It wasn’t an easy task to find a consensus, but at the end we were able to make the final decision.
The event ended with the prize giving ceremony on which runners-up and winners were announced followed on by announcing of the British Best Loaf.
This was a great experience and an excellent opportunity to meet fellow judges which compromised of publisher, industry experts, bakers to technical.”
All loaves from the day do not go to waste, they are all donated to local charities that are given out to those in need.
Neil Woods Craft Bakers Association President and fellow judge also had this to say about the day:
“We all, I think, had a fantastic day and was really something to be back and involved. I have been lucky to have judged many times at this competition and have seen many changes in the styles of bread that have been exhibited. For me personally the rise (No Pun) of the sourdough has been monumental and considering that I was advocating sourdough preparations 35 years ago is a legacy…
The quality continues to grow, Interesting to see the small amount of traditional white 800gm on offer to be judged, obviously the specialty and sourdough has taken the lead, I really look forward to be again invited to judge next year”….
We were also lucky enough to have another Team ADM member at the event, Ben Windrow one of ADM’s newest Account Managers attended the day. Ben was in the audience watching the day’s events unfold.
“I really enjoyed Britain’s Best Loaf; it was great to see the different variety of breads brought along. I introduced myself to a lot of the bakers who were participating in the event, and explained I am from ADM who are sponsoring and judging the competition.”
“As well as Britain’s Best Loaf event there were lots of different seminars that took place, it was interesting to be a part of these and understand how other business are dealing with the challenges that we are all facing, whether that being the Ukraine, Russian crisis or the UK labor shortage in the agriculture sector and transport sector.
As well as trying some really good food, I also managed to introduce myself to a lot of prospect customers and explained who ADM are and what we can offer, with some positive feedback. Hopefully resulting in some new customers in the future!”
For decades, ADM Milling have serviced the UK’s craft bakery category with the simple objective of providing quality ingredients, partnership level support and the latest innovation for our customers. Our three dedicated bagging locations, strategically placed around the UK, manufacture an extensive range of functional, safe and consistently easy to use products, which are then distributed via our dedicated craft bakery logistics solution, allowing for regular and flexible solutions. Specially assigned account management teams allow us to understand your business and provide both commercial and technical support as required.
To find out more about our business please head to 4flour or get in contact with us.
When judging we saw a huge selection of finished products and ingredients used. We needed to score each loaf baked on its appearance, internal structure, taste and aroma – all this was live with the audience watching our every move. The highest scoring product won each of the categories. After all the loaves were scored all the judges met to choose the Best British Loaf. It wasn’t an easy task to find a consensus, but at the end we were able to make the final decision.
