Tamara Bardega of Ammerstol won the title of baking queen of the Krimpenerwaard on Sunday, taking home a kitchen machine as the top prize at the “Heel de Waard Bakt” finale in Lekkerkerk, hetkontakt.nl reported.
Eight amateur bakers competed in the finale at Amicitia on November 8, 2026, after four weeks of preliminary rounds, while Mirjam van Veen of Bergambacht won the day prize, according to hetkontakt.nl.
Pre-event coverage by Dorpshuis Lekkerkerk and regioonline.nl had listed nine participants, but hetkontakt.nl reported that eight took part in the final round.
Bakers Competed for a Kitchen Machine During the Finale
The finale took place on Sunday, November 8, 2026, from 12:00 to 15:00 in the Grote Zaal of Amicitia Lekkerkerk, with free admission for the public, who could watch the bakers at work and taste the creations afterward.
The main prize, a kitchen machine provided by Expert Lekkerkerk, went to the overall winner. Throughout the four-week competition, no participants were eliminated; instead, a weekly winner was chosen to receive a golden pin.
The jury, comprising Gertjan de Bakker, Luux and representatives of Amicitia, judged the results and offered tips along the way. The preliminary rounds featured assignments including the secret signature assignment, the savory village baker, the chocolate party and the village classic.
Two Hours to Finish Village Scenes
Master of ceremonies Bert Lammens of Dorpshuis Lekkerkerk started the finale at noon with “Bakkers klaar? Bakken maar!”, hetkontakt.nl reported. The bakers had two hours to assemble and decorate spectacle pieces around the theme “Feest in het dorp” (Party in the Village).
The bakers had prepared the bases of their creations at home beforehand, focusing in Amicitia on assembly, filling, finishing and decoration as the clock ticked toward the two-hour deadline.
Bakers Build Local Landmarks
Contestants created edible versions of village landmarks. Romina Heuvelman of Ouderkerk aan den IJssel built a cake with scenes including the soapbox race and the fair tent, while Annette Slager of Lekkerkerk recreated the old town hall with cyclists referencing the annual bike race, hetkontakt.nl reported.
Tamara Bardega made a “baking painting” of the Ammerstol church with layers of banana, brownie, chocolate, caramel and meringue. Her daughter Karlijn, 19, created a cake featuring the Ammerstol ice rink with hazelnut paste, marshmallow and white chocolate filling.
Romina Heuvelman, 41, included not only the soapbox race and fair tent but also the “bank” at the fair and the cycling race podium in her cake, which featured pineapple-passion fruit and white chocolate flavors. “Het gaat goed,” she said. “Al hadden een paar dingetjes anders gekund. Maar het komt in orde.”
Marleen Loedeman, 25, of Krimpen aan den IJssel, pursued an “Après-ski at Amicitia” theme with chocolate and white pastry cream filling, working on a speculaas house atop her cake. “Het gaat met ups en downs,” she said. “Het vraagt soms om improvisatie. Ik doe mijn best.”
Liselotte Lohman, 23, of Lekkerkerk, chose the theme “Lekkerkerk 700” for her book cake, planning to add edible photos and houses representing the village. “De tips die je van anderen krijgt, daar kun je wat mee,” she noted.
Annette Slager, 41, added a red beet filling to her old town hall creation.
The youngest contestant, 17-year-old Zoë Reijmerink of Krimpen aan den IJssel, created a vanilla-cinnamon cake with peach-cinnamon filling, topping it with cows after asking locals for taste associations with “village,” which yielded cheese, cinnamon and speculaas.
Van Veen Wins Day Prize
Mirjam van Veen of Bergambacht won the day prize for her cake featuring recognizable elements from her village, including houses, shop fronts, the dike and the church. Jury member Luuk Schaper said it “sprong er qua originaliteit en uitstraling voor ons bovenuit, met al die huisjes” (stood out in originality and appearance with all those little houses), hetkontakt.nl reported.
Van Veen, 29, said her husband assisted with the preparation of the gingerbread houses, using a 3D printer to make the molds from which the windows were cut, while the stained-glass windows were made of candy.
Bardega Takes Overall Crown
Tamara Bardega won the overall competition despite not winning any of the weekly prizes, performing most consistently across all rounds, hetkontakt.nl reported. “Ik ben helemaal verbouwereerd,” she said. “Totaal niet verwacht.”
Her daughter Karlijn, who won a weekly pin earlier in the competition, said: “Super dit.”
Bardega, 45, noted that the Ammerstol flag hung from her painting of the church.
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