Stoke Newington baker wins gold prize for ‘practically perfect’ baguette

Katherine Lockwood with the winning baguette. Photograph: Ella Jessel

A Stoke Newington baker’s “practically perfect” baguette has won a gold prize in a prestigious bread-making awards.

Owner of Church Street’s Spence Bakery Katherine Lockwood knew she was on to a winner when her Rustic Baguette began to fly off the shelves.

She entered her loaf in the baguette category of the Tiptree World Bread Awards, established in 2013 to celebrate the very best of British bread-making.

Judges awarded the baguette a “practically perfect” score of 97 out of 100. Score sheets reveal they were particularly impressed by the appearance of the baguette and its “great crumb structure”.

Spence Bakery’s loaf was one of four to win gold prizes in the baguette category – the overall winner was Bread Source bakery.

The baguette category table

Katherine Lockwood, who has been running the Church Street bakery for ten years said: “Along with the white tin loaf and white sourdough the baguette is one of our best sellers. It’s nice for us to win. We won the Londoners’ Loaf four years ago so it’s great to get a second award.”

Loaves were sent in from around the United Kingdom – delivered by courier, taxi and in person on the morning of the judging at Cathedral Hall, Westminster Cathedral, to ensure maximum freshness.

“The competition was higher and the field more numerous than ever,” said Stephen Hallam, Master Baker and Chair of the Judges. “We had very demanding criteria for judging, and every loaf was judged anonymously.”

The Spence Bakery, which has opened a new branch in Tufnell Park, currently has a stall at Rushmore Primary School’s new Sunday market.