Neil's News from Cafe St Honore - Scottish Food Guide

First… a lovely piece from Neil on the Scottish Bread Championship – many thanks again Neil for your fine judging skills…

A few weeks ago, I was honoured to have been asked to be a judge for the annual Scottish Bread Championships. Held at Bowhouse in Fife on the weekend of The Scottish Festival of Real Bread, it celebrates the best in bread-making and explores how we can help make Real Bread accessible to all. With a small row on a boat across the Firth of Forth or an easy ride on the motorcycle, this is organised every year by Scotland the Bread, The Real Bread Campaign and The Edinburgh Bakers Trust.

The day starts with a coffee, a talk by the founder of Scotland the Bread, the magnificent Andrew Whitley, and a run-through of how to judge and score a loaf of bread; it is trickier than you think. It is astonishing to think this is in its tenth year, and I think I have been a judge in every one. I am delighted to be asked back.

There are some very good breads to taste, and the overall quality is exceptional. There are heartwarming stories of young people, school children and loaves made by disadvantaged children in communities. The standard improves, (pardon the pun), every year. The supreme champion this year was an incredible loaf, called a Miche by Courie Bakery in Aboyne, beating 265 entries. A worthy mention to Golspie High School who won a silver medal for ‘People’s Bread’ in the ‘soil to slice’ competition. Well done to all the category winners and medal winners. Perhaps next year you will enter with your loaf? Isn’t it great how far we have come, and how far away a sliced white industrial loaf we are now.

This week’s Cafe at Home