The Baking Industry Awards recognise the very best across our wide spanning industry and the Baker of the Year category represents the highest accolade within these awards. Winning this award presents a baker at the top of their game, a hands on baker whether it be an owner of their own bakery business or as a key player within an organisation. Sponsoring this award for the 6th consecutive year is a great privilege and judging entrants from across our industry who all have so much passion, knowledge and dedication to the craft of baking is a pleasure.
We’ve managed to get together with three of our recent winners of the Baker of the Year award to hear why they entered, why they thought they won and also what benefits they have seen since winning the award. We hear from Paul Rhodes (Baker of the Year 2018), Alex Gooch (Baker of the Year 2015) and Mark Bennett (Baker of the Year 2014). Ann Wells of Brook Food, one of the judges and sponsors of the award also talks about what the judges are looking for, what previous winners have demonstrated as well as who should enter the Baker of the Year category.
Over the past 5 years we have crowned some truly fantastic Bakers of the Year who are all excelling in their game and showing a continued success following their accolades, with 2018 being no exception, the supremely talented Paul Rhodes of Paul Rhodes London, produces an amazing product range. His focus on quality is infectious and the drive he has to create an innovative and exquisite range suited to consumer trends is admirable.
The Baker of the Year category is about the individual, despite scrutinising within the bakery environment, the award recognises the skills, dedication and achievements of the baker. Winning this award means the baker shows their sparkle; their great abilities to understand their products, their customers and exhibit the ‘wow’ factor in whichever form that may take. There is no other category across UK bakery award ceremonies that looks for the best of the best and in this process we judge entrants who put themselves up for the highest recognition possible and we would encourage anyone who feels they have what it takes to put themselves forward for this tremendous accolade.
