Environmental charity The Chiltern Society has begun the search for the region’s best artisan bread producers.

The Chiltern Society Real Bread Award 2016 is currently taking nominations from the public for the best bread stalls and artisan bakeries in the area.

A judging panel made up of Chiltern Society members will visit nominees over the summer, ahead of an awards ceremony planned for September, though the location and date are yet to be decided.

The awards categories are also to be decided, but Elaine Mason, Chiltern Society volunteer and competition founder, said: “We’re trying to have three or four winners, so we might do different loaves or sections of the Chilterns.”

Real Bread Campaign

Mason was inspired to launch the competition after finding out about the work of the Real Bread Campaign and its members.

She said: “Near where I live we’ve got an absolutely wonderful artisan bakery and I looked on their website and found out all about the Real Bread Campaign and got really into it.

“Seeing the website really inspired me. I was very interested to hear about the difference between supermarket bread and traditionally produced bread.”

The Chiltern Society is a charity aiming to preserve the countryside around the Chiltern Hills and encourage public awareness of the area.