A decade of Britain's Best Loaf

Expert judges from across the baking industry will next month crown the 2026 Britain's Best Loaf and Britain's Best Cake.

Live judging for both competitions will take place at the Farm Shop & Deli Show that is being held at the NEC Birmingham from Monday 13 to Wednesday 15 April.

By registering for free entry to the Farm Shop & Deli Show, visitors will also have free entry to three other events taking place at the same time under The UK Food & Drink Shows banner: Food & Drink Expo, National Convenience Show and Forecourt Show.

Around 1,200 businesses will be exhibiting across the four shows, and more than 25,000 visitors are expected to attend the event, which span the breadth of the retail, wholesale and hospitality sectors.

Find out more and register for free tickets today!

A packed programme of panels, features and presentations at the shows includes the Britain’s Best Cake competition. Judged by professional bakers and industry experts, it will see professionally produced sweet treats battle it out in several categories. The winners will be announced on the afternoon on Monday 13 April following judging that morning.

Britain's Best Loaf will be judged live on Tuesday 14 April. Experts will determine the winners across categories including innovation, sourdough and gluten free - with one of these winners also receiving the ultimate accolade of Britain's Best Loaf 2026.

Ahead of next month's competition, here is a look at the past 10 winners of the Best Loaf title - from traditional sourdoughs to matcha-infused innovation:

2016

White Tin Loaf, Poppyseed Bakery

Lee Smith of East Sussex-based Poppyseed Bakery had won the Britain's Best Loaf title twice before - in 2013 and 2014 - when he scored a hattrick with his white tin loaf despite some serious competition.

2017

Beetroot Multiseed Sourdough, Seasons Bakery

Dan Nemeth from Yorkshire-based Seasons Bakery took the award in 2017 for his Beetroot

Multiseed Sourdough, which is produced over three days from a sourdough starter fed with freshly grated beetroot.

2018

White Seeded Sourdough Loaf, Foodhaven

Newhaven-based Foodhaven was victorious with a White Seeded Sourdough Loaf made by head baker Antony Brogden. The loaf was produced using a 30-hour fermentation process and contained strong white flour, water, salt, oil and seeds.

2019

Wholemeal Sourdough, Poppyseed Bakery

Poppyseed Bakery’s Lee Smith took the title again with a Wholemeal Sourdough after seeing off competition from products including an Indian spiced loaf. Having been crowned four times, Smith has now joined the Britain's Best Loaf judging panel.

2020

Wild Hops & Barley Loaf, Peter Cooks Bread

Hereford-based baker Peter Cook was inspired to produce this loaf by the hops that grew about 50 yards from the bakery’s door. These were used to make a tea that was mixed with organic Shipton Mill No. 4 Strong White Flour to create a sourdough starter. Barley grains from a nearby micro-brewery also feature in the recipe.

2021

Prune & Cardamom Sourdough, Joe’s Bakery

Judges praised the balance of flavours and technical skill in this Prune & Cardamom Sourdough from Bristol-based Joe’s Bakery. The recipe was based on the bakery’s brown sourdough loaf with the addition of rum-soaked prunes and ground cardamom.

2022

Parmesan & Black Pepper Sourdough, Bakerman

This sourdough from Darlington-based Bakerman was praised by judges for its bold flavours and punchy aroma. It is a traditional slow-fermented sourdough made over 48 hours with organic strong white flour, organic stoneground wholemeal flour, organic parmesan, organic cracked black pepper, wheat levain, water and sea salt.

2023

Brioche Japonais, Kuma-San Bakehouse

This soft bread, which took top spot in the Innovation category before being crowned Britain's Best Loaf, has a vibrant green interior from the use of matcha in the dough. The subtle flavour is complemented by dried fruits and white chocolate, and is topped with crispy macaron.

2024

Garlic & Rosemary Deep Pan Focaccia, 4Eyes Bakery

This focaccia was born from a mistake when baker Tom Martin put too much water into a mix for sourdough loaves. Instead of binning it, he “chucked it into a pan, docked it, and it came out unbelievable”.

2025

Lemon & Earl Grey Brioche Loaf, Kuma-San Bakehouse

Kuma-San Bakehouse founder Miyo Aoetsu joined Lee Smith in the exclusive club of bakers who have won Britain’s Best Loaf more than once. Her latest winning creation features Earl Grey tea with limoncello-soaked candied lemon peel, and also contains lemon curd and lemon juice. Judges described the winning product as “really balanced”.

Note: Portions of this article previously appeared on the British Baker website bakeryinfo.co.uk and have been used with permission.