The standard of entries was exceptional and the judges had a hard task, culminating in awarding 24 Gold medals across 8 categories

Supreme Champion, Ben Reade of Company Bakery receiving awards from Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands, Mairi Gougeon MSP. - Photo courtesy of Chris Young

Doughs risen and baked, boxes loaded and labelled, loaves were lovingly delivered to Bowhouse in Fife for the Scottish Bread Championship judging. Mission accomplished. Well not quite as this year we went on to hold Scotland’s inaugural Scottish Real Bread Festival a few days later – a day of festivities and fun, crumbs and celebration of Real Bread but more of that later.

Reserve Champion, The Culinary Kiwi Bird receiving award from Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands, Mairi Gougeon MSP. - Photo courtesy of Chris Young

We received a record number of entries from 36 bakers submitting 138 entries – more than double previous years - from Perthshire, Moray, Lothians, Deeside, Glasgow, Argyll, Trossachs, Sutherland, Ross & Cromarty & Fife.

Our move in terms of venue and month proved a great success, February coinciding with Real Bread week and our sincere thanks to our sponsor Edinburgh Bakers Trust https://www.edinburghbakerstrust.org.uk/home , and founders Andrew Whitley of Scotland The Bread and Wendy Barrie of Scottish Food Guide

Above: Andrew Whittley (left) with Chris Young, Professor Wendy Russell, Professor Lindsay Jaacks and Neel Paul. - Photo courtesy of Chris Young

This year our diligent team of judges, giving freely of their time, were:
Neil Forbes, Chef Director Café St Honore
Walter Mowatt, Slow Food Scotland
Elizabeth Drummond Young, Edinburgh Bakers Trust
Professor Wendy Russell, Rowett Institute
Chris Young, Real Bread Campaign Co-ordinator
Professor Lindsay Jaacks, University of Edinburgh
Anna Chworow, Nourish
Neel Paul, writer, working on a project Curry On, about immigrant food and culture in new lands. 
 
The standard of entries was exceptional and the judges had a hard task, culminating in awarding 24 Gold medals across 8 categories with many Silver and Bronze Awards en route. The winning loaves were …
 
Supreme Champion: New York Rye Sourdough by Company Bakery, Edinburgh.
Reserve Champion – Beremeal Boule by The Culinary Kiwi Bird, Anne Keenan, Insch, Aberdeenshire.
Full results here

Above: Supreme Champion, New York Rye Sourdough by Company Bakery, Edinburgh
- Photo courtesy of Chris Young

…and the Champion Certificates and Gold Awards were kindly presented by Mairi Gougeon MSP at The Scottish Real Bread Festival on the Saturday where we had a terrific turnout with over 800 visitors taking part in bread related discussions and activities, workshops and tastings.

Chris Young from the Real Bread Campaign was keynote speaker, John Castley talked about his schools programme Breaducation, Flour to the People, Scottish Grain movie, Diversity for Human Health from Professor Wendy Russell, and Ballads and Bannocks also took to the stage during the day.

Elsewhere there were activities for children involving art and threshing, mill tours and bread workshops. Scottish Cheese Trail was present along with Cairn O’Mohr Fruit Wines , Something Corny, Scotland The Bread manned a bread stall selling a selection of loaves and among the other stalls was Bosse Dahlgren explaining his heritage grains project at Ardross Farm with tasty bakes to sample.

The Scottish Food Guide’s Wendy Barrie said as key organiser:-

“I’ve been delighted with the support, footfall and enthusiasm for the festival, particularly given it was our first ever bread festival, speedily planned to catch Real Bread Week with modest funds. I look forward to building and evolving the Championship and Festival for 2024. Grateful thanks to all involved and the able band of volunteers.”