Entries are open for the 2020 Britain’s Best Loaf competition which, this year, will take place in September.

Britain’s Best Loaf, which is sponsored by ADM, American Pan UK and Scobie McIntosh/Revent, offers bakers the perfect opportunity to pit their loaves against the finest in the country.

Originally due to take place in March at the Birmingham NEC, the competition was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak – but we won’t let anything get in the way of celebrating the best of British baking.

Judging for Britain’s Best Loaf will now take place on 23 September at East Court, East Grinstead, West Sussex.

Because of this year’s exceptional circumstances, bakers do not need to deliver their loaves personally; they can courier them to the judging venue if preferred.

The deadline has been extended until 7 September 2020, so if you produce standout breads, then we want to hear from you. To find out more and to enter, visit britainsbestloaf.co.uk.

There are six categories – Gluten Free, Innovation, White, Wholegrain, Plain Sourdough, and Sourdough with Other Ingredients – with the winning loaf from each of the six categories in the running to take the ultimate accolade of Britain’s Best Loaf.

Being declared a winner in the competition can make a real difference to a business, as some of last year’s winners told us:

Poppyseed Bakery, East Sussex

Wholemeal Sourdough (Britain’s Best Loaf and Sourdough category winner)

Sales of Poppyseed’s winning wholemeal sourdough have risen about 50% following its victory in the 2019 Britain’s Best Loaf competition. The business has helped drive these sales by promoting its success through social media, and has received plenty of positive feedback in return, both online and through comments to shop staff.

The Danish Bakery, Cardiff

Pappa-G’s Taste of India (Innovation category winner)

Winning the award meant a lot to the business, and the trophy now sits proudly on a shelf in the shop for visitors to see. The success has also been promoted on social media. “Customers have been very excited and supportive,” said The Danish Bakery founder Betina Skovbro. “We are a very small bakery with only three years of trading under our belt, so this is a massive deal for us and our very supportive costumers.”

Incredible Bakery Co, Northamptonshire

Cinnamon & Raisin Boule (Gluten Free category winner)

The Incredible Bakery Co worked hard to spread the news of its success. “Social media is a wonderful tool, but we didn’t stop at that. We printed leaflets with our Britain’s Best Loaf logo, made banners and added it to our website,” said Valeria Mizuno-Turner, owner of Incredible Bakery Co. “We spoke about it in the radio, newspapers and to everyone that lent an ear.” She added that the response from customers had been “delightful”, and that sales had grown steadily. “We believe winning has strengthened the Incredible Bakery Co reputation and, as a direct result of that, our sales keep growing.”

To find out more, and to enter, visit britainsbestloaf.co.uk.

If you have any queries, call the competition team on 01293 610422.