Amy North, Editor, British Baker

Amy is responsible for leading and developing all aspects of British Baker’s editorial coverage, from breaking news to in-depth features and analyses covering businesses of all sizes including bakery’s major players and artisanal outlets. She has more than a decade of experience as a journalist, seven years of which have been spent at British Baker. She has a great appreciation of all bakery items from the nostalgia-inducing Blobby biscuits to deep-filled doughnuts (earning her the nickname the ‘Duchess of Doughnuts’).

Chris Parrington, Technical and Development Manager, Kluman & Balter

Chris began his bakery career in 1982 with a four-year apprenticeship at Hughes Family Bakers, followed by a technical role in Rank Hovis’s Flour Testing and Development Lab. He later joined J. Sainsbury’s Trainee Bakery Manager programme, gaining experience across multiple stores and HQ. In 1989, Chris embarked on a 12-year career at sea with P&O Cruises, rising to Head Baker and catering for prestigious events, including royal ceremonies and the 50th anniversary of D-Day. After leaving in 2001, he continued working offshore as a pastry chef and baker in the North Sea.

In 2003, Chris transitioned to bakery management in the North-West, transforming a small family business into a respected SME in the foodservice industry. By the time he departed as Operations Director, he had overseen recruitment, staff, buying, hygiene, and quality control. Since joining A1 Cake Mixes (now part of Kluman & Balter) in 2012, Chris has led product development for the Kaybee and A1 Cake Mix ranges while supporting manufacturing and in-store bakery partners. With decades of expertise, Chris brings invaluable insight to achieving the perfect bake and will be a key asset to the judging panel for Britain’s Best Cake 2025.

Daryl Stephenson, Assessor, Coleg Cambria

Daryl has been in the baking industry for 29 years, with experience spanning retail bakery, manufacturing, bakery training, and serving as an ambassador for Tasty Careers Wales, where he promotes the baking and food industry. Currently, he is a member of the management team at The Pudding Compartment in Flint.

Elaine Hamey, Owner, Elaine's Creative Cakes

Elaine Hamey has been a confectioner for over 35 years and started working in a bakery to gain industry knowledge and experience whilst training to be a confectionery teacher. She taught at college level for over 20 years at several colleges around Manchester, including Tameside College. It was while working here that she attained the Confectioner of the Year title at the Baking Industry Awards four times.

Elaine now puts her skills to use at her shop Elaine’s Creative Cakes in Urmston, Manchester. She creates everything from multi-tiered bespoke wedding cakes to birthday cakes, as well as cupcakes and scones for local coffee shops. She was crowned Celebration Cake Maker of the Year at the 2024 Baking Industry Awards marking the second time she has taken home the trophy.

Johanna Moloney, Caketastic Creations

Johanna established Caketastic Creations in 2010 following a redundancy from her lengthy career as a Manufacturing Chemist. Johanna's passion for baking and creativity led her to learn cake decorating for her loved ones, eventually expanding into offering cupcake decorating classes for children during school holidays. In 2015, she introduced her Vintage Caketastic Caravan, a mobile pop-up tearoom serving traditional cakes and Cream Teas on vintage china. Taking a significant step in 2019, Johanna transitioned to commercial premises, solidifying Caketastic Creations with a well-established shop in Middleton, Manchester. Her business has garnered recognition, with the most recent accolade being 'Celebration Cake Business of the Year' at the Baking Industry Awards in 2022.

Kyle Rodgers, UK Sales Manager, Rainbow Dust Colour

Kyle Rodgers brings 20 years of experience in the baking industry. Starting as a baker to trade, he then moved to learning and development, helping train bakers of the future via National Food & Drink Training, the sister training company of the trade association Scottish Bakers. Since then, Kyle has worked for Carr’s Flour in various senior sales roles and is now the UK Sales Manager for Rainbow Dust Colour, which provides a range of food colourings, sugar pastes, paints, decorations and sugar craft essentials. Kyle has also been a regular judge at the Scottish Baker of the Year Awards & World Scotch Pie Awards for the last 11 years & is currently one of two residing head judges for the Scotch Pie Awards.

Laura Jones, HE Lecturer in Bakery & Patisserie Technology, University College Birmingham

Laura began her career in the bakery and patisserie industry with a Professional Bakery diploma, complemented by hands-on experiences such as a Leonardo Scholarship in Marseille and participation in prestigious competitions like Cake International. She further expanded her expertise by earning a BSc (Hons) in Food and Consumer Management, which led to roles as a New Product Development Technologist at Greencore Cakes and Desserts and a Product Developer at Rich Products, where she created bakery items for major clients. In 2018, she transitioned into teaching, joining University College Birmingham as a Bakery and Patisserie lecturer. Over the years, she has taught various levels and modules, including specialist confectionery and bakery product design, while also completing a postgraduate certificate in Learning & Teaching in Vocational Subjects.

Currently, Laura focuses on the BSc/FdSc Bakery and Patisserie Technology degree, mentoring students for competitions such as Cake International and the Alliance of Bakers, Students and Trainees. Alongside her academic role, she runs Creative Cakes by Laura, where she continues to innovate in cake decorating techniques. Passionate about inspiring students and staying connected to the industry, Laura aims to share her knowledge and skills while remaining actively engaged in the evolving bakery and patisserie market.

Lee Smith, Baker, Poppyseed Bakery

Lee began his apprenticeship at Saffron Patisserie in Eastbourne in 1984 whilst he was pursuing Bakery & Confectionary studies at Brighton College. Following his time in local bakeries, he spent four years in London as the Head Baker at The Dorchester Hotel and Sally Clarkes Bakery. In 2003, Lee and his team acquired Bexhill Farm Kitchen in Bexhill-on-Sea, later rebranding it as Poppyseed Bakery upon opening their second shop in 2017. Throughout the years, they have achieved numerous accolades, including winning Britain's Best Loaf four times, World Bread Awards, Baking Industry Awards Speciality Bread of the Year, among others. With five shops and a substantial wholesale operation, Poppyseed Bakery now boasts a team of 71 employees.

Michelle Phillips, Founder, Mimi's Bakehouse

Michelle Phillips, also known as Mimi, has always had a focus and passion for food, hospitality, and, of course, cake. She began baking as a child in the 1970s and started working in hospitality and restaurants at the age of 16. Over the years, she gained experience in hospitals and school meals, where she won awards for her efforts to bring properly cooked meals to school dinners—long before Jamie Oliver made it popular. After working in small hotels and cafes, Michelle decided in 2010 to pursue her own venture. Selling her family home, she opened Mimi’s, which has since grown into a thriving business encompassing a bakery, five cafes, an online bakery, wholesale operations, and a wedding service. Michelle is currently the President of the Scottish Bakers Association.

Naomi Spavern, Lead Baker & Patisserie Chef, Iâl Bakery

Naomi is the Lead Baker & Patisserie Chef at Iâl Bakery in North Wales, where she creates a wide range of baked goods for the onsite café and restaurant, as well as for customers and wholesale businesses across Wrexham. Alongside her baking, she enjoys mentoring hospitality students, supporting them as they navigate their own culinary journeys.

2024, Naomi was honoured to win Britain’s Best Fruit Cake award, followed by the Rising Star title at the Baking Industry Awards. She also runs the popular baking blog @littlewelshfoodie, which has led to collaborations with the Welsh Government, television appearances, and radio features. Passionate about championing Welsh businesses and the baking industry, Naomi is dedicated to showcasing the very best of what Wales has to offer.

Rebecca Tonks, Founder & CEO, St. Ewe Free Range Eggs

A lifelong food enthusiast, Bex's journey with eggs began long before St. Ewe became a household name. In fact, her love of baking led her to open her own bakery over 20 years ago, where she mastered the chemistry and artistry of cake-making. From sourcing the finest ingredients to experimenting with innovative recipes and techniques, Bex saw cake as an endless opportunity for creativity. But as the egg side of the business flourished, demand grew, and she made the bittersweet decision to sell the bakery to focus on packing eggs full-time. And if you haven't already guessed - Bex is a total cake lover, which makes her the perfect judge for Britain's Best Cake!

Richard Herbert, Confectionary Specialist, Sonneveld

Richard has over 35 years experience in the bakery, having started aged 14 in his uncles bakery in Barnsley before studying for a C&G in Bakery & Confectionery at Sheffield Castle College. To widen his bakery experience he, he then spent 3 years working in Germany at the artisan bakery Backparadies Hornung, in Hamburg before returning to the UK to work in the UK retailer ISB space, working his way up from baker to ISB Bakery Manager for a number of different retailers. Richard then used this experience to work in the ingredient market gaining further knowledge and developing his skills. The bakery industry is constantly facing new challenges, whether that be from an ingredient perspective or process constraints, and Richard uses his knowledge and expertise developed over his career to help Sonneveld’s customers navigate these challenges

Robin Loud, Technical Applications Specialist, Dawn Foods

A trained baker with more than 40 years’ experience, Robin Loud has been a key member of Dawn Foods’ commercial team for the last 11 years. He is involved in supporting customers across all channels on the best way to use Dawn ingredients and providing advice on the latest innovations and consumer trends in the market. Robin enjoys the creative aspect of his job which involves devising inspirational recipes as well as undertaking live demonstrations both to customers and trade organisations such as the Craft Bakers’ Association.

Starting his bakery career in the 1980s working in small craft bakeries as a baker/confectioner, Robin then moved to Mountstevens Bakery in Bristol at the start of the 90s, working his way up from Junior Chargehand to Supervisor and then onto Technical Manager. After two years working in NPD at Entenmann’s, he joined the Fabulous Bakin’ Boys in Witney as NPD & Process Manager for six years. He then spent seven years with Macphie as a Technical Baker covering the Southwest & Wales until 2014, when he joined Dawn Foods.

Robin says that his time as a hands-on baker and in bakery sales has helped him to understand how ingredients work in real bakery situations along with the day-to-day challenges that bakers face. He is very much looking forward to judging the new bakery ideas on show at Britain’s Best Cake!

Sarah Thornber, Owner & Head Baker, Corner Cottage Bakery

Sarah’s passion for baking began as a child when she would spend countless hours in the kitchen with her mother and grandmother. She qualified as a baker after leaving school and worked at a bakery for 10 years before heading to university to study molecular biology. A 20-year-career as a scientist followed but she was made redundant at the beginning of lockdown which lead her to start Corner Cottage Bakery. The business now has two shops in Warwickshire selling handcrafted breads, cakes, and patisserie items.