The Worshipful Company of Bakers has elected His Honour Stephen Kramer QC as its new Master.

At the Company’s annual election banquet in London’s Mansion House last month (27 November), Kramer took over from Patrick Wilkins.

The ceremony took place in front of more than 300 members of the Company, bakers, suppliers and guests, including representatives of the City of London Corporation and the heads of bakery organisations. 

A recently retired Old Bailey judge, Kramer was educated at Hampton Grammar School; Keble College, Oxford; and the Université de Nancy, France.

In 1970 he was called to the Bar by Gray’s Inn, and from 1972 to 1988 had a common law practice at 10 King’s Bench Walk in the Temple. He moved to 1 Hare Court where his practice was exclusively in crime and in 1995 was appointed a Queen’s Counsel (QC).

Between 1999 and 2001 he was vice-chairman and then chairman of the Criminal Bar Association, and in 2003 became a circuit judge on the South Eastern Circuit.

In 2005 he was appointed a senior circuit judge sitting at the Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey), where he sat until his retirement last July 2017.

In recent months, Kramer has been learning about the baking industry by spending time at Bakels in Bicester, Fine Lady Bakeries in Banbury and Dunn’s Bakery of Crouch End.

Kramer, who stood as the liberal candidate in 1974, enjoys swimming, cycling, opera, theatre and “watching Harlequins strive to win”.