SIXTY bakeries from across the UK are competing in this years new edition of the popular TV cookery competition show, Britain's Best Bakery, including an episode that will feature the show being hosted at Harts Barn Cookery School, near Longhope.

The series returns to ITV for a second run this year, and the South West is to be represented over this coming week, with the programme being aired at 4pm.

Expert judges Mich Turner MBE, TV chef, author, and owner of the Little Venice Cake Company, and Peter Sidwell, TV chef, cookery writer and restauranteur, will be sampling the products from the regions bakeries, whittling the entries down to a final shortlist.

The popular daytime ITV competition will be broadcast over 50 episodes, and will run for six weeks, as contestants are led through a series of challenges, including the Baker's Table, where they must prepare a selection of their best wares, plus features such as a Wild Card bake and a Baker's Dozen.

Bakeries from five designated regions are set to compete against each other. From Monday to Thursday each week three bakeries from each region will go head-to-head, before there is a regional final on Friday. During that programme, one bakery will be selected to go forward in the National Finals Week. The filming of the Harts Barn episode took place last year.

Yvette Farrell, Principal of the Harts Barn Cookery School commented: "We were delighted to be chosen to host the South West round, and were only too pleased to help in raining the profile of some of the excellent independent bakeries we have in the region.

She added: "The contestants worked long, hard hours baking in the school to fight for their place in the finals – and we saw some amazing creations. We don't know who is to be crowned Britain's Best Bakery yet, so we will be watching to see if the South West can take that accolade."

Last year the winner of Britain's Best Bakery was the Hambleton Bakery, in Rutland.