Star bakery student on a roll with win at World Bread Awards

A star UCB student is on a roll after winning the Trainee Baker category at the World Bread Awards, which celebrate the best of the best in bread-making in the UK.

Jessica Dalton, a BSc Bakery and Patisserie Technology student and apprentice, who won The Rising Star category at the 2017 national Baking Industry Awards, received the accolade at last’s night’s ceremony at St John's Hyde Park in London.

Fellow UCB students Chelsea Collins and Fiona Ahern also attended the ceremony as finalists, with Chelsea picking up the runner-up prize. 

To win a place in the final, they each had to make a stand-out 454g white tin loaf and a wholemeal version. It was Jessica’s, however, which caught the eye of the judging panel, including Master Baker Andrew Auld and celebrity curry chef Dipna Anand.

Samantha Dowle, an Assistant Dean of UCB’s College of Food (Bakery), said she was immensely proud of all three of her students.

“To have Jess, Chelsea and Fiona in the final is fantastic and Jess, in particular, should be immensely proud to win this great industry award,” she said. “She is not only gifted, but works enormously hard at her art and deserves the recognition.

“I encourage all students to keep practising their skills and participate in competitions, which is not only beneficial to skills, but gets their name recognised in the industry.”

Even though Jessica is only 21, she not only has been recognised at the World Bread Awards and Baking Industry Awards, but scooped The Bakery Trainee Challenge and The British Society of Baking Trophy at this year’s Alliance for Bakery Students and Trainees awards (ABST). She has also made chocolates for Sophie, Countess of Wessex.

Having studied bakery at Level 1 at University College Birmingham, Jessica has worked her way up through all the levels to a degree. She now works in the bakery at the University, with stints at craft bakeries and Bettys of Harrogate.

Sponsored by Tiptree, the World Bread Awards have 19 categories and are open to all, from artisan bread makers and small high street bakers to home bread-makers and child bakers. Bread is a huge industry in the UK, with 12 million loaves sold every day.

Find out more about the World Bread Awards.

Find out more about bakery courses at UCB’s College of Food.