Gloucestershire-based bakery The Artisan Baker has won the Food Product of the Year award for its Nelson Loaf at the 14th annual Cotswold Life Food and Drink awards at Cheltenham Racecourse.

The Artisan Baker was established in early 2012 by Ori Hellerstein, who creates a number of unique loaves which sell out each week at farmers’ markets around Gloucestershire.

The award-winning bread, Nelson Loaf, is the company’s best seller, as it contains six different types of seeds plus oats and a small amount of organic flour, which makes it a unique product. It has a small amount of molasses that gives it a slightly sweeter taste than the usual loaf of bread.

Hellerstein commented on the company’s Twitter account: “What a great evening last night. Great food and company and the cherry on the cake-actually winning! Thanks for all the wishes.”

The Cotswold Life Food & Drink Awards is one of the biggest events in the Cotswold calendar. The awards are designed to champion and highlight the region’s food and drink industry, which includes local producers and suppliers, small farming businesses, chefs, restaurants and pubs.

Hellerstein is a French-trained chef who specialised in pastry and baking in London restaurants before moving out to Gloucestershire to start The Artisan Baker in 2012.

In July, Vegan baker, Michelle Orme won her third national baking award within a period of 10 months after being crowned the ‘Best Vegan Cakes/Desserts’ category.