Devon Petrie has won the National Bakery School’s (NBS) Top Student Award and will be given the Freedom of the City of London.

Petrie gained a First Class honours in his BSc Bakery Technology Management degree from the School of Applied Science at London’s Southbank University.

He was a special guest of the Livery Court dinner, which he attended with his sister and NBS course director Elaine Thomson.

In his dissertation, Petrie looked at developing sustainable sources of protein in bread products, such as using cricket flour, which people can be trained to harvest in large quantities to feed themselves in poorer countries.

Petrie has also recently been appointed as a bakery lecturer at the NBS, and is going on to do a PHD as part of his research and development.

Petrie told British Baker: “The award was given to me for gaining the top marks over all modules. The previous lecturer was stepping down from the school and I applied for that role, and had the opportunity to come for an interview. I presented my thesis on my research proposal.

“With the combination of that and my contribution as a student I was offered the job.”