We've been crowned In-Store Bakery Retailer of the Year!

Ahh, the smell of freshly-baked bread… If you can’t resist it either, pop down to your local store because we’ve just been crowned In-Store Bakery Retailer of the Year!

We picked up the title at the annual Baking Industry Awards in London – the baking industry’s equivalent of the Oscars.

And to make it even better – we were presented with the award by Jason Donovan!

Judges for the award conducted secret store visits. They said our Project Phoenix scheme – where we bake our Chosen by you… sliced bread in store every day – had ensured a real ‘local’ bakery at each store with three trained bakers on-site.

The judges also said our stores were bright and that staff were very helpful and knowledgeable.

No other UK supermarket currently bakes, slices and packages own label bread in-store – all other sliced bread available in supermarkets is at least 24 hours old before the customer can buy it.

It takes five hours for our in-store bakery teams to mix, knead, bake, slice and package a round of 54 loaves ready for you to buy.

Martyn Leek, eitor of awards organiser British Baker magazine, said: "The Baking Industry Awards recognise excellence in UK baking.

“Winners have to beat off stiff competition from around the country, so winning one of these awards shows that they really are at the very top of their game.”