A male baker has become the first in the 75-year history of a village show to win its highest baking award.

Terry Ford cooked and baked for days in preparation for the Llanarmon-yn-Ial Show on August 14. His practice with Victoria sandwiches and fruit loaves paid off as he managed to clinch the Gelli Gynan shield, awarded to the competitor with the highest points in the home produce section.

The award is the accumulation of the most points across all categories. Mr Ford took four first places for his caramelised red onion chutney, chocolate brownies, gingerbread men and rock cakes.

Commenting after his win, Mr Ford said: “The house was like a war zone, but smelled a lot better. The washing-up continued well into the following week!”

While the show always attracts male bakers, who compete in the men only class, they’d never performed well enough to compete against the village’s women before. Mr Ford, for whom baking is a recent hobby, had entered the competition at last year’s show, winning a third place for his jam tarts.

His incredible progress and momentous win has come as a shock for Mr Ford, who said: “I was quite surprised to do as well as I did as there were some excellent entries. Everybody has been quite delighted for me, but I’ve definitely milked my success a bit!”

Despite heavy showers, the show was a success all round. Submissions to the various cups were up by over 30 per cent on last year. Attendees entered exhibits for a variety of awards in categories across vegetables, fruit, floral displays and home cooking.

The show has been running for over 75 years and traditionally includes sheepdog trials, a horse show and jumping, with sections for vintage cars, a dog show and a children’s sports day.