A German who was turned down for more than 150 jobs after arriving in this country has been crowned Britain's best baker - for the second year running.

Dan Schickentanz, who now runs a retail bakery on Abingdon's Fitzharrys Estate, was named 1998 Baker of the Year during a ceremony at London's Grosvenor House.

The 47-year-old, better known as Dan the Bagelman, has clients including The Savoy Hotel and top chefs Raymond Blanc, Marco Pierre White and Gary Rhodes.

When he first arrived in Oxfordshire nine years ago, Mr Schickentanz, of Park Lane, Long Hanborough, was armed with just a keen interest in cooking and a huge bundle of job rejection letters.

He said: "We had to get some money somehow, so my wife Annette and I started doing muffins and brownies from home."

They started off in their kitchen and travelled to a market in the Midlands to sell what they had made.

They also started trying to entice customers closer to home and their lucky break came when an Oxford company expressed a keen interest.

The business moved out to the couple's garage and, as word grew about the quality of their products, customers started flocking to their door. The couple now employ 25 people in Abingdon and have a bakery shop in London. They now produce a wide range of their own breads and bagels.

He admits it is ironic that Britain's top baker is a German but, despite his nationality, he is fiercely proud of the baking industry in this country.

"Until ten years ago, our industry was the laughing stock of the whole world. Then people like Raymond Blanc and Gary Rhodes got interested and things have changed," he said.

"People are attaching more importance to the quality of their bread these days."

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