The Bancroft Butter Tart Bake-Off
Let's get ready to rumble...
in partnership with Virginia Sweets Bakery.
Welcome to the Bancroft Butter Tart Bake-Off!
This is YOUR chance to show the world, well, the Town of Bancroft, that your Butter Tarts stand head and shoulders above the rest! This most prestigious of awards has existed since ten minutes ago and it is up for grabs, so come join the fun!
This is a no pressure, inclusive, community event! Think tongue in cheek, slightly sarcastic, don't take life too seriously kinda thing...
The Guidelines (because we don't really have 'rules')
ANYONE can enter. The only requirement is that you can bake butter tarts!
STRICTLY ONE entry per baker. Multiple entries from a single baker will result in disqualification. So if you bake more than one variety of butter tart, you pick your favourite!
How to Enter
Pick up your Official Bancroft Butter Tart Bake-Off Registration Pack from our Official Bancroft Butter Tart Bake-Off Partner; Virginia Sweets Bakery!
Your official Bancroft Butter Tart Bake-Off registration pack will contain your guide to entering the Bancroft Butter Tart Bake-Off, a number sticker and corresponding entry form as well as your official Bancroft Butter Tart Bake-Off Butter Tart Box.
IMPORTANT All registration packs are sealed and random. DO NOT let anyone else know which entry number is yours, not even the managers. NO ONE else will know your number corresponds to you except you.
Bake your Butter Tarts and fill out your entry form with your name, cell phone number and email address and seal inside the entry envelope. Tape/stick your number to the INSIDE lid of your official Bancroft Butter Tart Bake-Off Butter Tart Box and place your Butter Tarts inside. Bring your Butter Tarts to the FIRST market of the 2026 season on May 16. All Butter Tarts must be delivered to the judging table by 10am on May 16 and each entry envelope posted into the official Bancroft Butter Tart Bake-Off Entry Box.
Judging
The judges are being selected from the most qualified people in Bancroft to taste butter tarts - you guys! (To apply as a judge please email us)!
Please note that, in the interest of fairness and the spirit of the bake-off, no family member of an entrant may serve as a judge.
Judging will take place on the FIRST market of the 2026 season, May 16, at 10am!
Each entrant will bring their butter tarts to market in their official Bancroft Butter Tart Bake-Off Butter Tart Box with their entry number taped to the INSIDE of the lid.
Entrants will leave their official Bancroft Butter Tart Bake-Off Butter Tart Box on the entry table, unopened. Each box is identical and boxes will be shuffled and arranged prior to judging to ensure they remain anonymous.
Each entrant will post their filled out entry form into the official Bancroft Butter Tart Bake-Off Entry Box.
The official Bancroft Butter Tart Bake-Off Entry Box will remain sealed and under guard until the end of the Bake-Off.
The judges will taste a sample from each entry and score each Butter Tart in accordance with the Judging Criteria, mark their score, fold the ballot and post it into the Bancroft Butter Tart Bake-Off Judging Ballot Box. The judges will have no knowledge of which butter tarts belong to which entrant.
Once the judging is complete, the official Bancroft Butter Tart Bake-Off Judging Box shall be duly sealed and transported to a secure and undisclosed location whereby the ballots will be opened and counted by the adjudicator, overseen by the assistant adjudicator and verified by the assistant assistant adjudicator. The adjudicators will have no knowledge of which baker baked which butter tarts. (To apply as an adjudicator please email us!)
Once the ballots have been counted, overseen and verified, the result shall be sealed and delivered to the keeper of the official Bancroft Butter Tart Bake-Off Entry Box. The keeper of the official Bancroft Butter Tart Bake-Off Entry Box shall open the result and only then shall the keeper open the official Bancroft Butter Tart Bake-Off Entry Box and discover the identity of the winning Butter Tart Baker. The results shall be announced as soon as this process is complete!
The Bancroft Butter Tart Bake-Off 2026
The Judging Criteria
Butter Tarts shall be judged accoring to the following criteria using a scoring system of 1 - 5 for each. The highest scoring entry shall be declared the winner.
1. Appearance; tarts should be uniform in size and shape and filling should be bubbly and caramelized.
2. Pastry/Crust; should be light, flaky and golden, sturdy enough to contain the filling without breaking.
3. Filling; Texture should be gooey, sticky, very slightly runny, not overly firm/custard like. Flavour should be rich, buttery and sweet.
4, Baking Perfection; the crust should not be soggy anywhere (especially the bottom) and the filling should not have boiled over excessively. Tarts should not appear nor taste burned.
5, Add-Ins; any additions to the filling, i.e nuts or raisisns should be evenly distributed and not overwhelm the buttery flavour.
6, Judges Overall; judges are to consider, is this a great example of a traditional butter tart demonstrating mastery and skill? Is it a twist on a classic butter tart recipe demonstrating innovation and creativity? There is no right or wrong, what do you, as judges feel about this entry in the spirit of this bake-off?