Lovingly Artisan, the bakery known to many Greater Manchester shoppers from its stall at Altrincham Market, has been named North of England regional champion at the 2026 Great British Food Awards, as first reported by Secret Manchester.

The bakery bakes and mills its flour in Cumbria, near Kendal. According to the Alty Post, the regional title went to its Wholemeal Barber Sourdough.

Six medals

The winners were announced at the awards' first live ceremony, held at ALFI in London on Tuesday 6 October. Lovingly Artisan won three golds, for its heritage rye flour, Northumberland rye and wholemeal Barber wheat sourdough; two silvers, for its marmalade and ginger sourdough bake and rye berry sourdough; and a bronze for its malt fruit tea loaf. This year's judging panel included Raymond Blanc.

Co-owner Catherine Connor, who runs the bakery with Aidan Monks, called the result "one of the highlights of the year" and thanked staff for their "dedication and continued hard work".

The Barber wheat sourdough is also a finalist for Speciality Bread Product of the Year at the Baking Industry Awards, whose winners are due to be named on 25 November.

Sources: Secret Manchester; Messenger Newspapers; Alty Post (incl. bakery statement). This article was produced with the help of AI tools and checked by an editor against the sources above.