A bakery based near Kendal has been named the UK’s food and drink brand of the year after winning an Artisan Founder Award for the second consecutive year.
Lovingly Artisan Bakery took the overall title at The Artisan Founder Awards 2026, which celebrate independent artisan businesses across the UK. Lake District Tweed, another Cumbrian business, won the material-led craft award.
Second national success for Lovingly Artisan
The result marks another major achievement for Lovingly Artisan, which won the same award last year. The business was represented in the supplied award coverage by Aidan Monks, pictured in a wheat field in Plumpton.
Catherine Connor, co-owner of Lovingly Artisan Bakery, said the recognition reflected the work of the entire team and suggested the business had further plans ahead.
“Winning an Artisan Founder Award for a second year is a proud moment for the whole team. “We’ve had another epic year, and we’ve really only just got started. There’s much more to come, and we won’t stop pushing. “Awards like this recognise the effort the whole team put into making the business what it is, and we can’t thank them enough for their hard work day in and day out – this one’s for the whole team.”
Two Cumbrian winners
Lake District Tweed is part of Dodgson Wood, a farm diversification business run by Maria Benjamin and John Atkinson at Nibthwaite Grange Farm, at the southern end of Coniston.
The judges said the business had shown unusual commitment by crafting every stage of the material-making process. They said Lake District Tweed received the highest scores from both the judging panel and the public.
“Lake District Tweed are a worthy winner of this category, receiving the highest scores from both the judges and the public.”
The judges also described the work as an example of what could be achieved when the qualities, origins and future of a material were considered as carefully as the finished product.
How the awards were decided
The awards launched in 2025. Finalists were chosen through public nominations, assessed by a judge and then put to a public vote to determine the winners.
Lyndsey James, founder of The Artisan Founder, said the awards were intended to help independent artisan businesses become better known and celebrated. She added that public support was a notable feature of the businesses involved.
“What continues to stand out is the strength of support these businesses receive from the people who buy from them and follow their work.”
She said winning recognised more than the finished product, also acknowledging the skill, thought and commitment involved in building a business around making something exceptionally well.