Competition Details 2023
How To Enter
This year for the 5th annual bake-off there will be an Instagram competition plus a Live Tasting competition at Partridges in Chelsea.
Instagram Competition: make some Chelsea Buns, photograph them and
post the photo on Instagram using the hashtag #worldchelseabunawards and tag in @world.chelsea.bun.awards and/or email us your photograph (using the link below), especially if your Instagram is private.
Entry deadline: 5pm on Wednesday 17th May.
Prize: a Partridges Hamper full of treats, a Partridges Certificate and a World Chelsea Bun Awards apron donated by Initially London.
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Live Tasting Competition: bring or post your Chelsea Buns to Partridges, 2-5 Duke of York Square, Chelsea, London, SW3 4LY.
Entry deadline: 5pm on Friday 19th May.
Enter your Chelsea Buns into one of three categories:
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Children (under 18) - Prize: Bespoke Partridges Hamper filled with delicious treats;
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Adults – Prize: Bespoke Partridges Hamper including Partridges Chelsea Bun Gin;
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Professional Bakers – Prize: Bespoke Partridges Sharing Hamper including Partridges Champagne and Chelsea Bun Gin.
Winners will also receive a Partridges Certificate, a World Chelsea Bun Awards Winners’ Apron from Initially London and the overall winner will become ‘Best Chelsea Bun Baker 2023’.
We invite all entrants to make a donation to this year's chosen charity -
The Children's Surgery Foundation.
Welcome to the World Chelsea Bun Awards
Bake-Off Competition 2023 Hosted by Partridges in Celebration of World Chelsea Bun Day
In May 2023 Royal Warrant Holder, Partridges of Sloane Square, is hosting the fifth annual World Chelsea Bun Awards to celebrate World Chelsea Bun Day.
The Judges
In a change to the information below we are delighted to announce that HRH Princess Michael of Kent is to take the place of Lady Frederick Windsor as a judge of the 5th annual World Chelsea Bun Awards hosted by Partridges.
Lady Frederick Windsor, Royal Patron of The Children’s Surgery Foundation and Judge of the World Chelsea Bun Awards is unavoidably not available.
HRH Princess Michael will arrive at Partridges flagship store in Duke of York Square, Chelsea at 9am, to help select the three winners in the ‘Live Tasting’ competition of the World Chelsea Bun Awards 2023.
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Lady Frederick Windsor, who is also known as the actress Sophie Winkleman, and actress and cake expert Jane Asher, who are both patrons of The Children’s Surgery Foundation, will judge this year’s World Chelsea Bun Awards. Other judges will include John Shepherd, owner and Managing Director of Partridges Fine Foods and Munther Haddad, the Chairman of The Children’s Surgery Foundation and a Senior Consultant Paediatric and Neonatal Surgeon.
On Saturday 20th May, Lady Sophie Windsor, John Shepherd and Munther Haddad will taste and judge the Chelsea Buns at Partridges in Duke of York Square. The buns will then be taken to The Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond for Jane Asher to judge them. Jane is performing the lead role in Somerset Maugham’s 1921 comedy The Circle from 29 April to 17 June 2023.
The winners will be announced at Partridges at 3.30pm on Saturday 20th May, on Instagram and on the website on Monday 22nd May 2023.
The competitions are free to enter but entrants are requested to make a donation to this year's chosen charity, The Children's Surgery Foundation which supports babies, children, and their families in need of surgery through the provision of equipment, training and research.
John Shepherd, Owner and Managing Directory of Partridges says... “The first Chelsea Bun was created around 1700 by Richard Hand close to Partridges store in Duke of York Square, Chelsea. Richard, known as Captain Bun, ran The Old Chelsea Bun House which was famous for its Chelsea Buns and counted King George II, King George III and their families amongst its customers. We are delighted to hold the World Chelsea Bun Awards for the fifth year running and hope they will once again revive the baking of Chelsea Buns in the area and around the world as well as raise funds and awareness for our chosen charity, The Children's Surgery Foundation.
As a judge of this year’s competition, I am very much looking forward to seeing the range and variety of Chelsea Buns which are entered. We are hoping to receive entries from all over the country and all over the world and I expect that people will add popular local ingredients as well as ingredients which match their own dietary preferences and creative twists, resulting in a rich assortment of Chelsea Buns.”
Jane Asher says... “This wonderful charity is very close to my heart: it does so much to alleviate the potential pain and distress involved when little ones have to go through the trauma of surgery. Baking some delicious Chelsea Buns is a delightful way of raising money to enable us to do more, and I hope lots of you will join us in having a go.”
History of The Chelsea Bun
Chelsea Buns are a type of currant bun traditionally made from a rich yeast dough flavoured with lemon peel, cinnamon or mixed spice. The first Chelsea Bun was created around 1700 by Richard Hand, proprietor of The Old Chelsea Bun House, who was apparently known as Captain Bun!
The Chelsea Bun House, which was demolished in 1839, is thought to have been located between Pimlico Green and Royal Hospital Road in Chelsea and was famous for its Chelsea Buns. It also did a roaring trade in hot cross buns at Easter and was patronised by customers including King George II, King George III and their families.
About Partridges
The independent family-run food store was founded in 1972 in Sloane Square and last year celebrated its 50th Anniversary. In 1994 it was granted a Royal Warrant as Grocers to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.
In 1998 a second Partridges shop opened on Gloucester Road, Kensington and in 2004 the original shop was relocated to Duke of York Square, Chelsea where it offers outdoor seating.
In 2014 Partridges launched 'Startisans' to help ‘Start-Up Food & Drink’ artisans and operates the vibrant and successful Saturday Market each weekend near its flagship store on Duke of York Square, Chelsea.
In 2019 Partridges launched the World Chelsea Bun Awards to revive the baking of Chelsea Buns in the area and help raise funds and awareness for a local charity.
The Charity
2019 - 2023
The Children's Surgery Foundation
Entrants are requested to make a donation to The Children’s Surgery Foundation to support its debut campaign which aims to ensure that intravenous access is a more efficient and less intimidating procedure for young patients and their families. The charity is hoping to raise sufficient funds to purchase an ultrasound vein finder for every paediatric surgical department in the UK.
Previously known as the Chelsea Children’s Hospital Charity, the charity works in partnership with the British Association of Paediatric Surgeons.
