PoLHA partnered with local bakeries including social enterprise Breadshare Bakery, The Kilted Donut, Bakery Andante, Bad Tempered Baker and Mimi’s Bakehouse to host Leith’s Big Bake Off earlier this week.

The free event was hosted by PoLHA ahead of its 43rd Annual General Meeting at the Thomas Morton Hall. It was a sociable evening featuring the best cakes, bread and treats to come out of Leith.

Attendees and contestants, including tenants of the Association, members of the wider community, and young people from local schools and the Citadel, voted for their favourite entries across several categories with local professional bakers choosing the winner from the most popular bakes. The winner of the Favourite Local Bakery category was decided entirely by popular vote.

Leith’s Big Bake Off winners were:

• Best Baker (sponsored by Bakery Andante): Angela Woolridge
• Most Moreish (sponsored by The Kilted Donut): Chris Stone
• Best Under 16s (sponsored by Bad Tempered Baker): Laurel Brown and Erin Fitzgerald
• Best International Bake (sponsored by Port of Leith Housing Association): Hana Ramdan
• Best Healthier Bake (sponsored by Breadshare Bakery): Erin Miller
• Showstopper (sponsored by the Edinburgh Tool Library): Diana Karlins
• Favourite Local Bakery: Breadshare Bakery

The winners were each awarded a certificate and prize from their category’s sponsor. Breadshare Bakery, winner of Favourite Local Bakery by popular vote, was presented with a trophy handcrafted in Leith by the Edinburgh Remakery.

Keith Anderson, chief executive of Port of Leith Housing Association, said: “I’m really pleased that our first ever Big Bake Off-themed Annual General Meeting went down a treat with members of the Association, tenants and people living in Leith and north Edinburgh. I was particularly pleased to see so many families and young adults taking part. There was a real buzz in the room and a very strong sense of community spirit. Congratulations to all the winners and well done to everyone who entered. It turns out that Leith is home to lots of very talented bakers.”

Debra Riddell, business development manager at Breadshare Bakery, said: “As a community bakery and social enterprise, it is really important to us to win this award which has come directly from the people of Leith.”