Oxfordshire bakery wins best loaf in Britain award

Imma The Bakery in Stoke Row, near Henley, took home three more wins to add to its ever-increasing collection of awards for its stunning baked goods.

It was crowned the Ultimate Champion at the Britain’s Best Loaf 2026 competition, held at NEC Birmingham on Tuesday, April 14 and hosted by the British Baker publication.

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As well as Britain’s Best Loaf, Imma was announced winner in both the international category for its Cantabric Ogi or Basque Baguette, and the innovation category for its Breadso, a miso and sesame loaf made with miso produced from the bakery’s own surplus bread.

Tona Erreguin at the awards in Birmingham (Image: Imma the Bakery)

The victory was described as a ‘defining moment’ for founder Tona Erreguin, who remains the reigning Baking Industry Awards baker of the year.

Coming just after the release of Imma’s ‘Radical Tradition’ manifesto, which advocates for a return to long fermentations and the preservation of biological integrity in grain, the win for Cantabric Ogi was ‘physical proof’ of the successful new philosophy.

Ms Erreguin said: “Winning Britain’s Best Loaf with a bread that honours our philosophy, a bread that allows no place to hide mistakes, is the ultimate validation of why we started Imma.

Imma the Bakery took home three awards from Britain’s Best Loaf 2026 including overall winner (Image: Imma the Bakery)

“We believe that the future of British baking lies in the ‘radical tradition’, using the wisdom of the past to create something entirely new.

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“This isn’t just a trophy for a loaf. It’s a victory for the slow, disciplined, and soulful way of making bread.

“This is recognition for all the bakery crew’s relentless effort and daily work.”

Since it launched in the 2018 Imma has proven itself as a ‘benchmark for quality’, with a recent inclusion in the Good Food Guide’s Top 50 Bakeries and the Artisan Collective ‘Bakers Dozen’ solidifying this position.