Two Falkirk bakers hoping to come out on top as Scottish Baker of the Year

Luscious Lovelies Cakes and Piece of Cake by Lucia have both secured a spot on the shortlist of the prestigious Scottish Baker of the Year Awards following the annual judging day held in Dunfermline.

Sharon Allan, of Camelon based Luscious Lovelies, will be hoping she can bring home an award for the second year in a row, having secured a gold award for her celebration cake in 2023. And this year she’s been shortlisted for two awards in the celebration cake category.

She said: “I would love to take home the gold again which was a total shock last year I couldn’t believe it. I absolutely love what I do, so to get the recognition from the head judges that my cakes taste amazing is the icing on the cake. It also gives my customers the extra reassurance when booking with me.”

Piece of Cake by Lucia in Falkirk’s West Bridge Street, is also up for the awards. In a post on Facebook, Lucia said: “I cannot believe it, I’m honestly so shocked! Can’t thank you all enough for your support throughout this process, I’m so excited.”

With Scottish bakers each asked to put forward up to 12 of their star products to be taste tested by 50 industry experts, 580 products were delivered for the judges to assess for appearance, the quality of the bake and taste so to be shortlisted is quite some feat.

This years’ crop of entries included the ‘best bakes’ from some 60 bakers spanning the country and with accolades on offer for the best scones, loaves, savoury items, morning rolls, individual cakes and biscuits as well as French and Danish style pastries and Free-from bread, biscuits and cakes, the ultimate prize of course, is to be crowned Scottish Baker of the Year.

“With nearly 600 products entered, reaching the shortlist of this competition really is something to be very proud of,” says Lesley Cameron, Chief Executive of Scottish Bakers who organise the competition. “Every day we work hard to give Scottish bakers the chance to shine and showcase their innovation and skills and this competition is a vital part of that. So we really do wish all of our shortlisted entrants the best of luck when the prizes are presented in May.”

The winners will be announced at a glittering Gala dinner in Glasgow on Saturday, May 11.