Last updated 05:48, Friday, 19 September 2008

THE Village Bakery at Melmerby near Penrith has won The Organic Award at the Baking Industry Awards, run by British Baker magazine held this week in London.

The award was presented to Lindsay Kilifin, marketing manager at the bakery by ex-presenter of the X-Factor, Kate Thornton.

Some 900 guests from across the industry heard how The Village Bakery had pioneered organics in the 1970s and also how it has stuck to its original principles of sustainability, corporate responsibility and respect for people and the planet.

Judges commended the bakery for its commitment to craft baking, together with quality standards, which it said had “set a high standard for the rest of the industry”.