Lovingly Artisan, sold at Altrincham Market, is the Great British Food Awards' North of England champion for its Barber wheat sourdough, with six medals in all.
A sourdough loaf sold at Altrincham Market has been named the North of England’s champion at a national food awards. Lovingly Artisan’s Wholemeal Barber Sourdough is the North of England Regional Champion at the 2026 Great British Food Awards.
The organisers published the regional champions on 8 October. There are eight, one for each part of the UK. The overall Grand Champion went to Fen Farm Dairy in Suffolk for its Baron Bigod cheese.
Lovingly Artisan bakes and mills its flour in Cumbria, near Kendal. Its Altrincham outlet is its stall at Altrincham Market.
Six medals as well as the regional title
The bakery says six of its products won medals across three categories. It listed them in a statement published by Altrincham BID, which runs Visit Altrincham:
| Product | Category | Medal |
|---|---|---|
| Heritage Rye Flour | Sustainable Food and Drink | Gold |
| Northumberland Rye | Bread | Gold |
| Wholemeal Barber Wheat Sourdough | Bread | Gold |
| Marmalade and Ginger Sourdough Bake | Sweet Bakes | Silver |
| Rye Berry Sourdough | Bread | Silver |
| Malt Fruit Tea Loaf | Sweet Bakes | Bronze |
The winners were announced at a ceremony at ALFI in Spitalfields Market, London, on Tuesday 6 October. The bakery’s statement says it was the awards’ first live ceremony. The awards themselves began in 2014.
Catherine Connor, who co-owns the bakery, said: “Winning the North of England Regional Award, alongside three Golds, two Silvers and a Bronze, is one of the highlights of the year. It shows that, across the board, our bakery is producing the goods.”
The same loaf is up for a trade award next month
The Barber wheat sourdough is already on a second shortlist. It is one of the finalists for Speciality Bread Product of the Year at the Baking Industry Awards. Lovingly Artisan has five finalist places there in total, and MOST Bakery on Cross Street has one. We covered that shortlist last week. The winners are named on Wednesday 25 November.
The loaf is made from a wheat the American chef Dan Barber gave to a UK farmer, who grows it organically for the bakery. Lovingly Artisan mills it on its own stone mill.
What it means for you
- Where to buy it: Lovingly Artisan’s stall at Altrincham Market on Greenwood Street. The bakery’s own website gives its hours as Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, 7.30am to 4pm.
- Which loaf won: the Wholemeal Barber Sourdough. The bakery sells it as a whole, half or quarter miche.
- Getting there: there are no trams on the Altrincham line from 19 October to 1 November. See our tram closure page for the shuttle bus, and our parking page if you are driving in.
We will report how Lovingly Artisan and MOST Bakery do at the Baking Industry Awards after 25 November.
Have your say