Is your sourdough a crust above the rest? Do your baguettes bowl over the competition? Then be sure to prove it by entering Britain’s Best Loaf 2025.
The latest edition of the annual event – sponsored by ADM Milling, Brook Food & Bakery Equipment, L&M Parnaby, and Rademaker – takes place on Tuesday 8 April at the UK Food & Drink Shows held at the NEC in Birmingham.
Here, bakery experts with combined centuries of experience will examine, prod, sniff, and taste loaves in eight categories – Flavoured Sourdough, Gluten Free, Innovation, International, Plain Sourdough, Seeded Sourdough, White, and Wholegrain – to determine the category champions as well as the bread worthy of taking home the coveted title of Britain’s Best Loaf 2025.
Our esteemed line-up of judges includes a bakery specialist from Tesco, head baker for The Bread Factory, bakery technologists, and more.
Entries are currently open until Monday 10 March – find out more about the categories and enter your stunning sweet treats via our dedicated website BritainsBestLoaf.co.uk.
Here are the bread heads ready to rise to the challenge this year:
Amy North, editor, British Baker
With more than a decade of experience as a journalist, including seven years at British Baker, Amy is responsible for leading and developing all aspects of its editorial coverage, from breaking news to in-depth features covering businesses of all sizes across the industry.
Clare Barton, owner and head baker, Bakehouse 124
After studying an Advanced Diploma in Baking at the School of Artisan Food, Clare set up Bakehouse 124 in her hometown of Tonbridge, Kent in 2015. Since opening, the business has gone from strength to strength with an impressive number of awards in its cabinet.
Dan Riley, deputy editor, British Baker
With more than 15 years of professional writing experience, Dan has spent the past two years covering the UK baking industry as part of the British Baker editorial team. In addition to his news articles and long-read features, he has also helped enhance the digital content of the publication with his graphic design and video editing skills, contributing to its rise in readership and engagement across various channels.
Dennis Everaers, senior bakery & process technologist, Rademaker
Dennis is the son of a baker and grew up in a bakery. He has been working at Rademaker for 23 years, starting as a travelling technologist and test baker before becoming manager of the Technology Centre, eventually moving to the commercial side. In 2015, he founded the Rademaker Academy, which has since grown into a full-scale training centre. In his current role, Dennis’ speciality is bread in all its forms with his focus entirely on developing and optimising Rademaker’s bread production lines.
Gareth Edwards, head of sales – craft and speciality bakery division, ADM Milling
Gareth’s passion for the baking industry ignited at Cardiff Bakery College. His early career saw him honing his skills in artisan bakeries before transitioning to in-store bakery roles. His journey with ADM Milling began in the commercial division, and over the past 29 years, he has held various positions within the company. His current role sees him collaborate closely with his technical and marketing colleagues to bring innovative ideas to market.
John Foster MBE, managing director, Fosters Bakery
John Foster MBE DL has been baking for over 50 years. Having grown up in the family baking business, he now runs a successful wholesale bread bakery in Yorkshire and serves as the national president of the Craft Bakers Association. With experience working in bakeries around the world, John is highly qualified in various aspects of the profession. In recognition of his contributions to the food industry, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Sheffield Hallam University where he occasionally lectures on food-related topics.
John Lamper, bakery specialist – ISB, Tesco
John started his career as a baker at Sainsbury’s when he was 17 and went on to spend 28 years at the retailer covering various bakery specialist roles both regionally and nationally. In 2018 John joined Tesco as their bakery specialist working to drive operational innovation, product quality, sustainability, and efficiencies across all ISB channels. John also joined the board of the Craft Bakers Association in 2022 and continues to serve as a non-executive director supporting the craft sector.
Laura Sherwood, bakery technologist, Campden BRI
This is Laura’s third time judging Britain’s Best Loaf. With over a decade of experience in the baking industry, she is an expert in product development, test baking, analysis, and client consultancy, with a particular focus on plant-based and free-from baking. At Campden BRI, Laura plays a pivotal role in the product development team, where she leverages her extensive knowledge in bakery science to deliver comprehensive training, insightful consultancy, and innovative product solutions.
Louise West, training advisor, National Food & Drink Training
Louise is a master baker with 37 years of industry experience. She started off as an apprentice and progressed to owning her own bakery at the age of 26 with her husband Trevor. Over the past 11 years she has been delivering bakery apprenticeship programmes for NFDT across England, working with fantastic bakers and apprentices. She is passionate about the industry and loves to give back while sharing her knowledge and skills.
Neil Woods, consultant
Neil is gearing up to celebrate 60 years since he started his apprenticeship in the baking industry. He has been a long-standing member of the BCA, the BSB, and the Craft Bakers Association (of which he was recently president) and has also recently been admitted into the Worshipful Company of Bakers. In 2021, he was honoured in 2021 with the Outstanding Contribution to the Baking Industry Award. He has worked at various craft bakeries over the years before joining Ireks Arkady where he remained for 33 years. He currently is part of the consultancy team for Dubor UK.
Nick Pearce, sales representative, Brook Food & Bakery Equipment
Nick is a product and ingredients specialist with a technical approach. With over 30 years bakery experience and having run his own bakery business, Nick is able to help Brook Food’s customers with their specific needs and has a full understanding of the demands of the business from a retail approach. With technical knowledge of equipment, his approach is to work with customers to develop efficient processes and automation, focusing on the end product, quality and consistency.
Sara Autton, consultant
Sara studied at the National Bakery School (part of London Southbank University) on two separate occasions, gaining a variety of bakery-related City and Guilds qualifications, her National Diploma in Bakery, and a Batchelor’s degree in Bakery Science and Product Management. She recently retired from Lesaffre UK & Ireland where she was technical manager for over 25 years. In 2023 she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the London Southbank University; and the prestigious Outstanding Contribution to the Baking Industry Award from the British Baker. She continues to take an interest in the baking industry through her current role as a bakery consultant.
Tom Martin, head baker, The Bread Factory
Tom is the creator and winner of Britain’s Best Loaf 2024 and a finalist for Baker of the Year at the 2024 Baking Industry Awards. He recently stepped into the role of head baker at The Bread Factory in Manchester, part of the Bread Holdings Group, which also oversees Gail’s and Bertinet Bakery. With over 20 years of experience in the baking industry, Tom specialises in long fermentation breads and brings extensive expertise to his craft. He also shares his passion for baking through his Instagram page, @tom_the_baker, where he documents his journey, techniques, and creations.
William Leet, bakery development technician, David Wood Baking
Will started his baking journey at Leicester College before going on to further his studies at UCB. He went on to study in Norway where he completed an internship at the famous Nordic Bakeriet I Lom where he worked for two years working as an artisan baker and supervisor. Moving back to the UK, he took the role of development baker for David Wood Baking where he specialises in Italian breads and sourdoughs. Will has also guest lectured a few times at UCB, been a guest speaker for the ABST and even won the Rising Star Award at the 2021 Baking Industry Awards.
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