Baking brilliance – UCB bags 28 medals at biggest annual challenge for trainee bakers

Students from across UCB’s bakery department returned from the biggest annual competition for the UK’s trainee bakers with no less than eight gold medals, 12 silvers and eight bronze.

These included Bakery and Patisserie Technology second year degree student Katie Garrett, who clinched a gold for her scrumptious shortbread, silver for her vegan healthy eating bar innovation in the Bakel’s competition and Best in Show for her confectionery fondant fancies at the Alliance for Bakery Students and Trainees’ (ABST) annual competition.

Kate, who has won the shortbread category two years in a row, is now looking forward to a work placement at Bakel’s later on this month.

First year Bakery and Patisserie Technology degree student Kyshan Belshaw also shone to win gold for her floral art display in the Goldex Award - Sugar Flowers category of the competition.

Representing UCB’s college courses, Level 2 Bakery students Emily Standen, Abigail Lewis and Khadijah Mubasher worked brilliantly as a team to win the Junior Challenge Trophy for their white loaf, Madeira cake and decorated birthday cake.

And it is turning out to be quite a year for 17-year-old Level 3 Bakery student Ronnie Galway, who won silver in the Bakery Trainee Challenge after clinching gold in the ABST’s Best Burger Bun competition in February.

One of the most inspirational stories for would-be bakers, however, is that of Sadia Iqbal.

The mature student, who enrolled on UCB’s Bakery course at the age of 39, not only won bronze in the live Marzipan Modelling and Goldex Award - Sugar Flowers categories, but silver in the Carved Novelty Cake – the first time Sadia has ever competed.

“I had always baked at home, but not in a professional capacity,” said Sadia, whose daughter is also studying at UCB for a health and social care qualification. “I decided to follow my dream to make cakes professionally and enrolled on the bakery course full-time. The lecturers have really supported me.

“The show piece I entered for the Goldex award was so intricate and took me five weeks to make all the flowers, it was so intense. I now hope to compete at the International Cake Show in November.”

UCB South Korea student Sea One Yang also made an impact, winning bronze in the ABST’s Blandy Cup – Wedding Cake category – the first competition she has entered in the UK after winning three times at the top baking competition for trainees in her home country.

Fourteen colleges from across the UK went up against each other at the ABST competition at Alton Towers Resort in Staffordshire, with hundreds of baked goods judged blind by a panel of industry experts from the baking industry.

Bakery lecturer at UCB Caroline Dunnell said: “All the students worked so hard practising and preparing for the competitions and to come home with 28 awards in gold, silver or bronze is fantastic and something to be incredibly proud of.

"The bakery team would like to say a huge congratulations to the winners, and a well done to all those who may not have come home with a prize, but who put in a great entry or performed live on the day.”

The full list of winners is:

Mandy Wansell Trophy – Sophie Jones – Gold

Mandy Wansell Trophy – Kaisher Thrower – Silver

Mandy Wansell Trophy – Katie Brown – Bronze

Celebration Cupcake Challenge – Katy Jane Green – Gold

Marzipan Modelling Live – Sadia Iqbal – Bronze

Wrights’ Trophy Live – Piper Ayres – Gold

Wrights’ Trophy Live – Kirsty Day – Silver

Wrights’ Trophy Live – Jonah Street – Bronze

IBB Piping Live – Aleksandra Grzelak – Gold

IBB Piping Live – Karisha Brade – Bronze

Shortbread Trophy – Katie Garrett – Gold

Callebaut Chocolate Trophy – Leandra Molina Beato – Silver

Sourdough Challenge – Jonah Street – Bronze

3D Art Display – Chloe Hellyar – Silver

Healthy Eating Innovation Award – Katie Garrett – Silver

Blandy Cup – Wedding Cake – Sea One Yang – Bronze

Carved Novelty Cake – Sadia Iqbal – Silver

Goldex Award Sugar Flowers – Kyshan Belshaw – Gold

Goldex Award Sugar Flowers – Rowen Turner – Silver

Goldex Award Sugar Flowers – Sadia Iqbal – Bronze

Slattery Trophy - Aleksandra Grzelak – Silver

Slattery Trophy – Tammy Lake – Bronze

Bakery Trainee Challenge – Ronnie Galway – Silver

Burger Bun Challenge- Ronnie Galway- Gold

Horton Trophy – Kirsty Day – Silver

Junior Challenge Trophy – UCB – Emily Standen, Abigail Lewis and Khadijah Mubasher

Best in Show (Confectionery) – Katie Garrett

Best Swiss Roll – Rhiannon Davis

Find out more about bakery courses within the College of Food.