Two Altrincham bakeries are in the running at this year's Baking Industry Awards, with the winners due to be announced in November.

Lovingly Artisan, which bakes near Kendal in Cumbria and sells from a stall at Altrincham Market, has been named a finalist in five categories: Bakery Leader of the Year, New Bakery Product of the Year, Speciality Bread, Sustainability Initiative of the Year and Team of the Year.

Co-founder Aidan Monks is shortlisted in the new Bakery Leader of the Year category. Judges described him as a "capable and highly respected leader who demonstrated strong operational leadership, team development and consistent business performance".

The bakery's entry for New Bakery Product of the Year is its Ginger & Marmalade Sourdough Bake, made with sourdough breadcrumbs, marmalade and ginger. Its Sustainability Initiative entry is called Lovingly Artisan Full Circle.

Monks and co-owner Catherine Connor opened the bakery 17 years ago with a focus on sourdough. They work with farmers and millers to source heritage-grain and organic British flours, and use slow fermentation for their loaves. Monks has twice been named Baker of the Year, and the bakery's Danish Rugbrød won Great British Loaf of the Year. It also appeared on BBC's Countryfile for its sustainability work.

Down the road, Matt Townley of MOST Bakery in Altrincham is a finalist for Baker of the Year, up against Daniel Girling of Norfolk's Bread Source and Gary Kadas of Seven Seeded in Watford.

Townley, a former teacher, founded MOST Bakery with his wife Suze in 2022. He was also a Baker of the Year finalist in 2025, and in April his Multiseed Sourdough won the Seeded Sourdough category at Britain's Best Loaf 2026. According to trade magazine British Baker, the judges were impressed by his consistent product quality, a new venue at the local leisure centre, and his focus on training young bakers.

Sources: Baking Industry Awards 2026 finalists, British Baker and the Manchester Evening News. This article was produced with the help of AI tools and checked against the sources above.