Shropshire baker Alison reigns supreme as Chelsea buns champion
Artisan baker Alison Jones is the cream of the crop after her delicious upside down buns won a prestigious international bake-off competition.
Her Shrewsbury cottage bakery, La Bonne Parisienne, is the overall supreme champion of the World Chelsea Bun Awards after impressing the judges with her pastry version creation. It was also declared the winner of the professional category, beating off 51 rivals.
Alison set up the home-based business five years ago and has been tempting tastebuds every since with French and continental breads.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic the awards were held online, with top pastry chef Regis Negrier on the panel.
Alison said: "I'm really chuffed. During lockdown I started baking small tin loafs for my farmhouse range to supply customers who couldn't get out to shop for food. It really took off. then I started to do Chelsea buns and posting the pictures on social media.
Invited
"The competition organisers picked up my hastags and invited my to apply which I did. I use caramelised butter on the base of my buns and they seemed to quite like how it ran down the sides," Alison, 50, explains.
"It's hosted by Partridges and they saw that people were responding to the picture I was posting."
Her prizes include a £100 gift voucher, an apron and a goody hamper.
"It's nice to be recognised. I was previously given a Mayor of Shrewsbury community award," she added.
Alison delivers bread and pastries straight from her oven at home, in Copthorne, to customers' front doors on her vintage bike.
Regis Negrier says: "It is gratifying to make Chelsea buns at home especially when you compare them to the ones produced by big factories."
Entry was free but the bakers were requested to make a donation to The Children’s Surgery Foundation which has strong links to Chelsea. Proceeds from the online competition organised by London-based Partridge's will go towards buying ultrasound vein finders for paediatric surgical wards.
