Bakery students win awards at Alliance for Bakery Students and Trainees (ABST) conference

Three LSBU National Bakery School students who took part in the competition excelled in their categories and were awarded 1st and 2nd prizes for their work respectively.

The annual conference, which took place 11-12 June, saw hundreds of students and trainees from UK and Ireland take part in competitions, seminars and networking opportunities.

The Alliance, which was established in the 1920s, is a cross-industry organisation which sets out to provide a united platform within the baking industry on all issues relating to bakery education and training.

The Alliance aims to maintain the best skills and technical knowledge required by the baking industry and, through this knowledge, is able to offer support and guidance to people who are studying bakery or undertaking bakery training within the industry, therefore becoming a link between industry and education.

Hayley Parker came in second place for the Slattery Trophy, and came away with a silver award for her efforts. She said: “I was so thrilled to have placed in a competition at this year's conference; the standard of the entries across the board was incredible so it was a great honour to be picked out from the crowd. The experience of the Conference is a wonderful one, and my favourite element is the opportunity for creativity in many of the competitions. The medal I received was a great reward and I can't wait to go back next year even though, as a graduate I can't compete, I’ll be loudly cheering on the next 'generations' of the National Bakery School!”

Olivia Clark-Young came in first place for the Gold Marzipan Modelling challenge and took away a gold award for her modelling skills. She said: “Without the National Bakery School, the support we received from Elaine Thomson, Andy Costin, Barry Johnson and Jane Hatton, and the fantastic facilities we have, we would not have been able to attend the ABST conference in the first place. Winning gold for the live marzipan modelling was rewarding and has boosted my confidence. However, I am not just proud of myself and my awards, but I am also proud of my fellow friends for giving it their best shot and doing exceptionally well in various competitions at ABST.”

Rebecca Hole came in first place for the Slattery Trophy, Callebaut Chocolates and The Victory Challenge Trophy, taking away three gold awards on the day. She said: “The ABST conference was a great success and I was thrilled to come away with 3 golds, including a win for the third year running in the Callebaut Chocolate Academy Trophy class! Aside from the competitions, the conference is a great opportunity to network with industry experts and other likeminded students from around the UK. The chocolate modules on our course, and the equipment we have available to us at LSBU, have really enabled me to excel in this area and I am grateful for the opportunities it has given me. I'd also like to thank the staff and students of LSBU for their continued support throughout the year.”

Elaine Thomson, LSBU’s Course Director for National Bakery School, said: “I’m extremely proud of my students, their level of engagement, participation and professionalism was astounding, I am confident that they will all becomes assets to the industry.

“Over the past three years LSBU students have won awards in this competition and this year was no exception, this is a testament to the quality of our courses and of the talent of our students. I hope that we can continue to repeat this success next year.”

Find out more about LSBU’s National Bakery School.