Inside the judging process at Britain’s Best Loaf 2021

Britain’s Best Loaf 2021 has been revealed as a Prune & Cardamom Sourdough from Joe’s Bakery in Bristol.

The loaf fought off stiff competition from across Britain to achieve the title, undergoing a thorough judging process which included an assessment of its appearance, internal structure, aroma and taste. Here, we take a look at what that judging process looked like in 2021:

Sourdough loaves on a table

Plain sourdough loaves laid out for judging

Judges sitting socially distanced at tables

The judges were split into socially distanced groups to identify the best loaves in each of the six categories

John Lognonné from Davidson of Darras Hall assess a loaf's appearance

John Lognonné from Davidson of Darras Hall assesses a loaf’s appearance

Clare Barton judging a sourdough loaf

Sourdough specialist Clare Barton, owner and head baker at Bakehouse 124, helped to judge the sourdough category

A sourdough loaf being sliced

Every loaf is sliced as part of the judging process

Peter Cook looks at a loaf

Britain’s Best Loaf 2020 creator Peter Cook, from Peter Cooks Bread, judging the internal structure of a sourdough loaf

Aroma is one of the key assessment areas for Britain's Best Loaf, as Laura Sherwood, bakery technologist at Campden BRI, demonstrates

Aroma is one of the key assessment areas for Britain’s Best Loaf, as Laura Sherwood, bakery technologist at Campden BRI, demonstrates

British Baker editor Amy North, Poppyseed Bakery's Lee Smith and ADM's Keith Wooller take a closer look at the wholegrain category

British Baker editor Amy North, Poppyseed Bakery’s Lee Smith and ADM’s Keith Wooller take a closer look at the wholegrain category to determine a winner

Sara Autton, technical manager at Lesaffre UK, discussing an entry