Oxford bakery celebrated for having Britain’s ‘best loaf’

Company Bakery has been awarded gold, silver and bronze at the British Baker ‘Britain’s Best Loaf 2026’ awards.

Natural Bread is an independent, family run artisan bakery in Oxford.

A spokesperson said: “We make all our own wonderful breads, rolls, bagels and pastries by hand, from scratch, and fresh every day in our Botley bakery without using additives.”

The bakery, which operates market stalls each weekend in and around Oxford, took home the top prize for its Brainy Tin Sourdough in the wholegrain category.

Its German Rye Sourdough won silver in the international category, while two breads,the Oxford Sourdough and Three Seed Sourdough, earned bronze in the plain and seeded sourdough categories.

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A spokesman for the bakery said: “Honestly, we feel so honoured and grateful.

“Every loaf our bakery team creates is a labour of love, slow-fermented, carefully crafted by hand, and baked fresh each and every day.

“And being able to share that with so many in our local community means everything to us.”

The bakery, which also supplies fresh bread and pastries to cafes and restaurants, has built a loyal following at its weekly markets.

One of the owners making the bread (Image: Natural Bread Bakery)

Regular customers can find Company Bakery at East Oxford Farmers Market, South Oxford Farmers Market, Wolvercote Community Market, and its pop-up shop at the Marcham Centre.

It also appears at Deddington Farmers Market on the fourth Saturday of each month and the Abingdon Local Excellence Market.

The spokesman said: “These markets are at the heart of what we do, and there’s nothing better than seeing familiar faces, and meeting new ones, over a loaf of our fresh bread or one of our hand crafted croissants.

“All of our hand-crafted artisan loaves are made using traditional methods, without any additives or preservatives. just simple, quality ingredients and time.”

Beyond its market stalls, Company Bakery delivers bread and pastries seven days a week to wholesale customers across Oxfordshire, including cafes, restaurants and shops.

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The spokesman said: “We couldn’t do any of this without our amazing bakery team.

“Their skill, care and dedication go into every single loaf, and we’re so lucky to have them.

“A huge thank you as well to all of our customers, both at the markets and wholesale, for supporting us week in, week out.”

The company also acknowledged its partnership with flour supplier Matthews Cotswold Flour, crediting the quality of its products to the use of “beautiful, high-quality local flour”.

The spokesman said: “If you haven’t visited us yet, we’d love to see you at one of the markets soon.

“There’s always something hand crafted and fresh out of the oven waiting for you.”