Young Baker Award Winner Announced!
We’ve just announced that Thomas Hall has won the Young Baker Award for November 2024 - huge congratulations to Thomas!
Young Baker Programme
Matthews Cotswold Flour launched the Young Baker Programme to encourage more young people to turn their passion for home baking into a successful career in the bakery industry. The Young Baker Award has been developed in response to feedback from our pro-baker customers, indicating an ongoing shortage of good bakery staff joining the sector.
Supporting Trade Bakeries
Bertie Matthews, Managing Director of Matthews Cotswold Flour explains: “Finding great bakers is a problem across the industry that affects everyone, from small businesses right up to the industry giants. We are keen to help in any way that we can to resolve this ongoing challenge for our trade customers and, as part of that commitment, we are delighted to have set up the Young Baker Award and to have chosen our first winner.”
Commercial Bakery Manager
Sophie Carey, Bakery Development Manager at Matthews Cotswold Flour, was part of the panel who selected the winner. She comments: “I was so impressed with the amount of passion that each one of our applicants expressed – every single one cared deeply about expanding their bakery knowledge to become a better baker and I’m thrilled to see so many people looking to start a career in baking.
Young Baker Selection
“Selecting a winner from the applicants was hard work – but Tom stood out for the way his excitement about a potential career in baking shone through. He shared that it hasn’t always been a smooth path as he’s learned to bake, and why the work experience portion of the prize will help him in the future. We are really looking forward to supporting Tom to become another talented baker in the industry we love.”
What Young Bakers Can Win
Winners of the Young Baker Award get to visit the Matthews Cotswold Flour mill, tour a local regenerative farm – our friends at FarmED – learning not just about flour, but about how our grains are farmed and where they come from. They are given the chance to have a week’s work experience with a bakery and an introduction to professional baking. They are also given a selection of bakery equipment and materials to help them continue to develop their baking skills.
Next Round Entries Already Open
Sophie continues: “The aim is to inspire and support the next generation of professional bakers and provide individuals with the opportunity to learn more about the bakery industry and see if they would like to turn their passion into a professional career. We would love to hear from any bakeries keen to provide work experience for the scheme and we encourage anyone interested in the award to apply for the next one. The winner will be chosen in January 2025.”
How To Enter For The Next Round
Applications for the next award close on 12th January 2025 and you can apply here. Applicants must be aged between 18 and 30 at the point of entry. No experience is necessary but a keen interest in learning to bake and pursuing a career in baking is essential.
Commercial Bakery Partners
Any bakeries keen to host a ‘Baker in Training’ for their week’s work experience as part of this new scheme should contact us by phone on 01993 830 342, or email info@cotswoldflour.com (RE: Host a Young Baker - FAO Sophie Carey).
