BIA 2026 product and sustainability finalists: Overview
- Product finalists span sourdough, free-from innovation, speciality breads and commercially focused new launches
- Bakery Brand of the Year contenders show how businesses are using identity, heritage and customer engagement to drive growth
- Sustainability finalists are tackling waste, energy, sourcing and circular production across the bakery supply chain
Britain’s so-called ‘Bakery Oscars’ will take place on 25 November at a glittering black-tie ceremony at the London Hilton on Park Lane. Comedian and television presenter Joel Dommett will host the evening and unveil the winners across 15 categories.
Organised by British Baker, the Baking Industry Awards (BIA) are now in their 39th year and celebrate the products, people and businesses driving Britain’s baking sector.
I had the honour of joining the judging panel for the inaugural Bakery Leader of the Year category, sponsored by Whitworth Bros., which provided a fascinating insight into the people shaping the sector.
Here, we put the spotlight on the contenders for New Bakery Product, Free-from Bakery Product, Speciality Bread Product, Bakery Brand and Sustainability Initiative of the Year.
New launches push indulgence and free-from further
The six finalists for New Bakery Product of the Year (sponsored by Baker & Baker) range from frozen French toast and sourdough crumpets to a tiramisu brownie, filled cookie and pastry inspired by pecan pie.
Just Desserts’ Tiramisu Brownie combines a dark chocolate brownie with espresso-infused sponge fingers, mascarpone icing, mocha coffee beans and cocoa. The aim was to ensure both desserts remained recognisable rather than allowing one to overwhelm the other. Judges called it “indulgence galore” and said it “delivered exactly what it says on the tin”.
Griddle Bakery is taking a restaurant-style breakfast into the freezer aisle with Vanilla Brioche French Toast. Thick brioche slices are soaked in vanilla, egg and cream, then cooked from frozen in a microwave or air fryer. The judges found it “light and fluffy”, “sweet and buttery” and praised its “incredible aroma”.
Jason’s Sourdough has moved beyond bread for the first time with Proper Sourdough Crumpets made from flour, water, salt and fermented wheat flour. They contain no added yeast, preservatives, additives or emulsifiers. Judges highlighted the “great chew and nice crust on the bottom” and said they were delicious with or without butter.
Lovingly Artisan’s Ginger and Marmalade Sourdough Bake tackles surplus from another direction. Sourdough breadcrumbs replace most of the flour, with marmalade and ginger turning yesterday’s bread into something closer to parkin or cake. Judges said they hadn’t seen anything like it before and praised both the “incredible bake” and its backstory.
The Free-from Bakery Product of the Year shortlist is just as varied, covering low-carb, gluten-free, vegan, wheat-free and egg-free demand.
Park Cakes invested £1.5m in a dedicated “factory within a factory” to produce M&S Made Without Wheat Colin the Caterpillar. Creating a gluten-free sponge capable of being rolled at scale took extensive reformulation, but the investment paid off when 10,000 cakes sold during the first five days. Judges praised its “great soft sponge” and “lovely chocolate aroma”.
Glasgow’s Beefcake Café is competing with a gluten-free and vegan lupin loaf containing around 2g of carbohydrate and 10g of protein per 50g slice. Made with lupin flour, almond meal and seeds, it has less than 10% of the carbohydrate found in standard bread, according to the bakery. Judges liked its “very healthy look” and soft, moist texture.
Okja Bakery’s plant-based sausage roll uses tofu, walnuts and natural binders to create structure and retain moisture. Customers reportedly struggle to believe the filling contains no meat, while judges praised the “really good execution” and the small pieces of walnut.
Speciality bread brings 21 plants to the table
Only three products are competing for Speciality Bread Product of the Year (sponsored by Bako Group), but each takes sourdough in a different direction.
Peter Cooks Bread’s Well-Bred Seeded Sourdough contains 21 plants, including barley, spelt, rye, emmer, lentils, peas, quinoa, nettle leaf, kombu seaweed, coffee, hibiscus and cocoa husk. The Herefordshire bakery spent months building relationships with growers and millers before learning how the mixture behaved in dough. Judges concluded that “a lot has gone into this loaf and you can taste it”, while also praising its aroma.
Lovingly Artisan’s Wholemeal Barber Wheat Sourdough starts with a grain given to British farmer Andrew Wilkinson by US chef Dan Barber. It’s grown organically, stone-milled in Cumbria and baked without flour fortification or added protein. High hydration, autolyse and bassinage help create a lighter wholemeal texture, while full, half and quarter loaves make the premium bread accessible to smaller households and shoppers on tighter budgets. Judges liked its tangy aroma, appearance and provenance.
Happy Cinnamon Artisan Bakery completes the shortlist with an Apple, Honey and Porridge Sourdough inspired by the flavours of breakfast. Oats improve softness, moisture and shelf life, although balancing the fruit and honey without damaging fermentation or crumb structure created a technical challenge. Judges described it as a “lovely looking loaf with great character”.
Brands chase growth while sustainability goes local
The six finalists of the Bakery Brand of the Year (sponsored by Craggs & Co) range from Northern Irish celebration cakes and Jamaican patties to frozen waffles, free-from slices and a £56.6m wraps business.
Flake Bake used a £150,000 television campaign funded through Channel 4’s Black in Business initiative to reach an estimated nine million viewers. Moving its Jamaican patties from a seasonal Aldi listing into the core range then helped double annual sales to £2m. Judges praised its “unique and charming narrative” and ambition to take patties into the mainstream.
House of Cinn has grown from home production and Instagram orders into a dedicated manufacturing unit and supermarket distribution. Turnover rose 157% year on year to £1.8m, with a new Tear & Share format now extending the brand beyond single-serve buns. Judges liked its “fantastic-looking products”, “eye-catching packaging” and founder story.
Mission Wraps represents the other end of the scale. Sales grew by more than a third, with an additional 9.2 million packs sold. Protein, XL, Wholemeal and Carb Balance products account for roughly one-fifth of revenue but generated 83.2% of recent growth.
Six projects are also competing for Sustainability Initiative of the Year, sponsored by Macphie.
ADM Milling enrolled around 240 farmers during the first year of a regenerative agriculture programme reporting carbon reductions of up to 30%. Its mills use renewable electricity, Knottingley sources around one-third of its power from hydropower and all site forklifts are due to be electric by the end of 2026.
Lovingly Artisan’s Full Circle initiative reduced the distance travelled by its locally grown, milled and baked grain to 25 food miles. Harvests increased from 12 tonnes in 2023 to 49 tonnes in 2025, while bran becomes fuel pellets and semolina is turned into sourdough pasta. Judges called it “an incredibly genuine story of innovation and growth”.
Whitworth Bros’ Rooted in Soil programme enrolled 89 farmers covering 8,585 hectares by the 2025 harvest. Participating farmers choose practices suited to their land and receive financial rewards, with the miller estimating a 35% carbon reduction. Judges particularly liked the tiered rewards, which “gamified the approach” without dictating identical methods to every farm.
Watch out for our second BIA 2026 roundup, which turns the spotlight on the bakers, rising stars, teams, manufacturers, craft bakeries, retailers, online businesses and suppliers chasing British baking’s biggest honours.