Nicol Strang from Woolworths Forest Lakes, Western Australia has been recognised as the Woolworths Baker of the Year for the second year in a row. Competing against Woolworths’ in-store bakers from across the country, Strang was selected as a stand out in his skill in crafting the perfect traditional hot cross bun.
Strang has been a baker for more than 40 years, starting his career in baking at 15 years old in his native Scotland. On a normal day, he wakes at 2am to be in-store from 3am until 11am mixing, preparing and baking fresh bread daily. When his work day ends he can typically be found in his shed focusing on woodwork or out fishing.
Despite taking home the title last year, he was still nervous about this year’s competition.
“I’m absolutely ecstatic about the win. I was very nervous about the competition and being up against our other brilliant bakers. Being a baker can be very rewarding and it’s exciting knowing you have this skill that other people don’t,” said Strang.
The final round of competition involved a live hot cross bun bake-off challenge with six of the finalists. A number of judges from the Woolworths Bakery team and expert bakers from Allied Pinnacle, who supply to Woolworths, judged the best buns against a range of criteria including the weight, appearance, texture, crust and overall aroma of the buns.
Woolworths bakery merchandise manager Donald Keith said the competition was a highlight for team members each year.
“It’s fantastic to be able to put our hard-working and talented team members, who are often behind the scenes, into the spotlight and recognise them and their skills.
“We had some exceptional talent this year, but Nicol’s hot cross buns once again stood out for being the perfect shape, size and flavour,” said Keith.
Woolworths employs more than 2000 bakers, cadets and apprentices, who bake fresh bread and baked goods across over 700 stores across the country.
