Calling all keen bakers – both professional and amateur. Preparations are underway for the OTHER important Bake-Off of the year, the 2026 World Chelsea Bun Awards hosted by Royal Warrant holder Partridges of Kensington, the quintessential family-run food shop based on Gloucester Road. The awards – now in their eighth year – celebrate the iconic British classic Chelsea Bun and pit baking enthusiasts against each other, who are challenged to create the ultimate spiced bun, with this year’s cooks aspiring to deliver a bake befitting the title “Traditional Chelsea Buns Meet Innovation”.
With separate categories for amateur and professional bakers, the judges – including former chef, food business owner and TV / radio presenter Mark Wogan and senior editor of lifestyle magazine Velvet Alice Ryan – will be basing their decision on either the aesthetic appeal of the finished creation (for entries via Instagram) or, for those choosing to enter the Live Competition, on the look and, of course, taste credentials of the bun.
Entries for the Instagram competition must be submitted by 10 am on Friday 18th September using the hashtag #worldchelseabunawards and tagging @world.chelsea.bun.awards. Entries for the live competition (which includes children under 18) must be delivered to the Partridges Al Fresco Terrace (17-19 Gloucester Road, SW7 4PL) by 10 am and 12 pm on Sunday 20th September – entries can also be posted to arrive at Partridges by prior arrangement. Winning competitors will be treated to a selection of cash and Partridges hampers, with the overall Live Tasting Winner receiving a £250 prize and awarded the prestigious accolade of Best Chelsea Bun Baker 2026.
All entrants are invited to make a donation to Partridges’ chosen charity, React (www.reactcharity.org), which provides rapid, effective assistance to children with life-limiting illnesses who are living in the UK in financially disadvantaged households.
