July 2021
Young bakers impress star graduate with vegan bread creations for college contest
By Darren Campbell
Share post:Read time: approx 3 mins
Young bakers at University College Birmingham have risen to the challenge of making vegan-friendly bread as part of a student competition.
Students on the College's Level 3 Bakery course were put to the test to discover who could bake the Best Vegan Loaf, with their creations being judged by award-winning bakery graduate Katie Garrett.
Showcasing their creativity and innovation, the budding bakers had to produce a 400g loaf without using any animal products such as dairy or eggs. The students had a week to practise before baking their final loaves.
"The loaves were made to a very high standard and there were some excellent ideas and final products"

Former BSc (Hons) Bakery and Patisserie Technology student Katie – protege of royal wedding cake maker Fiona Cairns and winner of this year's Baking Industry Awards (BIA) Rising Star award – was then invited to Summer Row to judge each loaf based on appearance, texture, flavour and innovation.
Cash prizes were up for grabs for the star bakers, with Aisha Shaikh scooping 1st place and £250. Ciara Murphy took second prize (£125) with Amira Fayyaz and Tionne Cohen-Grant in joint-3rd (£75).
The contest also served to support the young bakers’ studies, linking in with their product development unit on the Level 3 Bakery course.
Bakery tutor Ross Jones said: “The students were able to understand the importance of product development and producing test bakes and how to construct a specification.
“They demonstrated skills and knowledge they had learned about in theory lessons and put them into practice.
“The loaves were made to a very high standard and there were some excellent ideas and final products.”
In pictures: Best Vegan Loaf competition
The Best Vegan Loaf competition is not the only contest students at our Birmingham College of Food have been taking part in recently, with trainee chefs on the College’s Level 3 Professional Cookery course participating in the inaugural Eddie McIntyre Award Student Chef Recipe Challenge this week.
University College Birmingham is renowned for providing specialist training for anyone looking to enter the baking and wider food industry, offering a range of college and undergraduate courses supported by industry-standard bakery, kitchen and restaurant facilities on campus.
Find out more about our courses within our Birmingham College of Food here.
Check out our latest news stories

‘Once in a lifetime’: How our university embraced city's Commonwealth Games
From providing services and support for athletes to volunteering at venues and even performing in ceremonies, Unive…
Read more
Student volunteers help Team India stars feel at home during Commonwealth Games
Indian students at University College Birmingham were treated to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get up clo…
Read more
Blog | What to pack when moving into uni halls
It’s that time of year when uni students are getting ready and packing to move into halls. I’ve made a list of some things I bought that I defin…
Read more
Blog | Preparations for going to uni
So it’s that time of year – results day is almost upon us, the gate to ‘clearing’ will soon be closing in and there are lots of students in the same boat.…
Read more
Digital squad of students support Team Scotland to tell Commonwealth Games story
Students from University College Birmingham are working as the official behind-the-scenes digital squad to tel…
Read more
Executive dean ‘honoured’ to take part in Commonwealth Games medal ceremony
A familiar face from University College Birmingham has made an appearance at the medal podium in the Commonwealth G…
Read more