Wiltshire pub crowned 'bread heroes' in Tiptree World Bread Awards
The Long Arms transformed into a bakery after they were forced to shut their doors during the Covid-19 crisis
A Wiltshire pub has been crowned the winners of the Tiptree World Bread Awards Heroes with Brook Food.
Rob Allcock, owner and Head Chef of The Longs Arms in Wiltshire, was selected as Overall Winner, after winning the South West region. Rob was forced to close his pub in South Wraxall due to the restrictions of Covid.
But he didn’t close the doors completely. He took the bold and radical decision to completely transform his business and convert the pub kitchen into a bakery to serve the local community.
Rob said: "Well, it’s simply very humbling that the village and our customers thought us worthy for nomination in such an amazing award."
Charli Boddington, one of Rob’s nominators said: "The entire village is reliant on his delicious output. He has certainly kept the village smiling."
Daniel Claughton, co-owner and chef at Charlie’s Cafe and Deli in Tintagel, Cornwall was declared runner up for the South West category.
When Charlie’s Cafe and Deli was forced to close due to Covid restrictions, Daniel kept the kitchen open to bake bread for his local community, delivering it when people were unable to collect it.
Daniel also kept the community supplied with flour, sourdough starters and yeast, as demand for such items surged.
Charlie Claughton, Daniel's son, said: "During Easter he baked over 300 hot cross buns. Many of those were delivered for free to the elderly and lonely people that we were aware of to brighten their day."
In normal times, the Awards celebrate the bread; hundreds of loaves would be delivered for assessment by a panel of esteemed judges. Instead, in a special edition for 2020, the Awards recognise the people behind the loaves: the bakers, millers and farmers.
Hundreds of nominations for the Bread Heroes were sent in from across the UK.
Stephen Hallam, Chairman of the Judges: "All the nominees in this year’s Awards truly deserve recognition for their generous, considerate and often altruistic initiatives to help others."
12 regional winners were selected by the judging panel.
One of the judges, Emma Freud, Executive Producer Comic Relief, said:
"These nominees were so well found - each of them have done remarkable things for their communities, using their talent with bread to make life easier for people who need support. It was a seriously tough choice, but I am confident we got the right winners.
Scott Goodfellow, Joint Managing Director at Tiptree, said:
"The efforts of the bread community during these challenging times have been truly inspiring. We are delighted that this year’s Awards have been able to shine a light on their incredible endeavours."
An exhibition of portraits by photographer Henry Kenyon of the 12 Bread Heroes will be touring the UK, including a display at the City Food Lecture 2021, the annual lecture on the future of the food industry, organised by the seven food-related City of London livery companies.