Photo/Illutration Miyo Aoetsu’s Lemon and Earl Grey Loaf was named Britain’s Best Loaf 2025. (Provided by Miyo Aoetsu)

Miyo Aoetsu is on a roll. The artisan baker from Japan scooped Britain’s Best Loaf 2025 for her brioche infused with lemon and Earl Grey tea.

It was the second time the Tokushima Prefecture native has won. She previously triumphed in 2023.

Her secret ingredient involves a Japanese twist.

“Baking is where I can live,” said Aoetsu, 55.

Open to professional bakers, the annual competition is organized by industry magazine British Baker.

This year’s competition, held in April, attracted an unprecedented 200 or so entries, split into eight categories. The winner in each category was eligible to be named overall competition winner.

Aoetsu runs Kuma-San Bakehouse from her home in Derbyshire, a county in the East Midlands of England. She also won in the Innovation category.

Aoetsu’s achievement in taking on the best of British is even more remarkable because she only got into baking as a hobby 15 years ago.

ADDING A FLAVOR OF HOME

The winning loaf was kneaded with the leaves of Earl Grey, limoncello-flavored candied lemon peel and Belgian chocolate.

Thinking it tasted weak just with lemon, Aoetsu added the juice of Kito “yuzu” from the Kito district of Naka, Tokushima Prefecture.

It is a taste from Aoetsu’s childhood. Every time she returns home to Komatsushima in the prefecture, Aoetsu makes sure to stock up on the citrus fruit.

She added the juice to butter spread on the loaf as a final flourish.

Even with the Japanese flavor, she aimed for a taste that can be enjoyed by locals.

The finished product boasts the aroma of lemon and a delicate hint of Earl Grey while offering a refreshing flavor that only yuzu can deliver.

Aoetsu baked between 40 and 50 prototype loaves to get it right.

She worked through the night before the competition. It was 5 a.m. when she finished baking the award-winning loaf.

Aoetsu couldn’t help but raise her clenched fists and jump for joy when it was announced she had won.

BEGINNER AT 40

After graduating from Tokushima University, Aoetsu enrolled at Naruto University of Education’s graduate school.

She went on to study at the University of Manchester’s graduate school, where she met her future British husband, David Hampson, 57.

Aoetsu was 40 when she baked her first loaf.

Back then, she was a full-time homemaker. Aoetsu took up baking as a hobby because she wanted to eat the kind of bread she’d had in France when she lived there briefly.

Aoetsu learned how to bake from tutorials she found online. She became enthralled with getting the yeast mix just right and watching her bread rise.

Aoetsu placed second when she entered the competition in 2019 to test her skills.

She opened Kuma-San Bakehouse at the behest of her future customers.

Because it is a member-only bakery, she accepts pre-orders and asks customers to pick up their loaves on Saturdays.

It is more of a bread club than a bakery.

When she won in 2023, it was for bread flavored with “matcha” powdered green tea.

The loaf looked bright green when it was sliced open, which she said drew cheers from the judges.

At the time, sales were weaker due to the recession. In desperation, she decided to enter the contest to promote her bread and attract attention.

In Japan, matcha pairs well with “anko” sweet azuki bean paste.

But her husband advised her that it wouldn’t appeal to the British palate, so she mixed the dough with white chocolate.

BAKING AS A WAY OF LIFE

“My baking is all about combining Japanese and Western cultures,” Aoetsu said.

It also reflects her way of life.

“It is not easy to live among Brits,” the artisan baker added. “My weakness is being Japanese, but my strength is also being Japanese. I learned the importance of going back to my roots to make use of my strength.”

“I want to continue with trial and error in terms of fusing Japanese and Western cultures. I’m meant to convey the Japanese taste,” Aoetsu said with a smile.

Because some customers asked her to teach them her baking skills, she is preparing to remodel her kitchen at home to offer a baking class.

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