Gold Artisan Award for Thoroughbread Bakery’s vegan loaf

Rebecca Rolls, owner of Thoroughbread Bakery in Levin.

Levin’s Thoroughbread Bakery has taken out a prize for its vegan bread loaf. This year, its 7 Seeds Loaf has taken out a Gold Artistan Award in the fresh section at the New Zealand Artisan Food Awards.

Thoroughbread baker and founder Rebecca Rolls said she was pleasantly surprised.

“I had entered this loaf before without it even getting a mention, and this time I thought I’d have another go, but did not have much hope. Wow... I thought perhaps bronze, if I am lucky...”

Levin's Thoroughbread Bakery nabbed a Gold Artisan Award in the Fresh section of the NZ Artisan Food Awards 2022.

She said it is her only truly vegan loaf, which contains freshly ground brown rice and seeds like linseed, sesame seed, and sunflower seed, as well as an organic activator. It is a very popular loaf, used by Te Papa. In fact, it is Thoroughbread’s biggest seller, out of a range of 15 different breads, she said.

“It was based on my original multigrain loaf, but we had had many requests over the years for egg-free bread.”

Rebecca has recently experimented with hemp at the request of local business Hemp Connect, who attended a show with its products and wanted to showcase what you can do with hemp.

“It has a lovely soft texture and is really dark, thanks to the hemp. The feedback has been fantastic so far.” She is contemplating adding it to her range.

“I will be making hemp bread for the Taste Trail later this month. We will be at Genoese Foods - it is the fourth time we are part of the Taste Trail, and Hemp Connect will be right beside us,” said Rebecca.

Levin's Thoroughbread Bakery nabbed a Gold Artisan Award in the Fresh section of the NZ Artisan Food Awards 2022.

She and three or four of her staff will be there throughout the day serving, cutting samples for people to try. Their loaves will be available for sale.

“After each Taste Trail, we get requests from people who bought a loaf from us there and would like to buy more.”

Thoroughbread’s loaves can be bought at Benniks Egg Shop at the Garden Depot on SH1 in Ōhau, and are served at Whispers Cafe, Oxford St in Levin, the Bush Street Cafe, Bush St, Levin. The Bigg Egg on Roslyn Rd will soon stock them too.