Copyright scotsman
The winner of Scotland’s Best Croissant award was crowned last month, and once again it was a Glasgow business taking home the pastry trophy. The brainchild of the team at the Edinburgh Butter Company, Scotland’s Best Croissant award celebrates and supports artisan bakers who use quality ingredients to make exceptional products, offering them the chance to have their croissants crowned as Scotland’s best. The inaugural competition in 2024 drew 20 entrants from across Scotland, and was won by Maple Leaf Bakery, a home-based microbakery from Glasgow. This year the event took place in Edinburgh’s Hawksmoor and saw Wheatberry Bakery, also based in Glasgow, take home the specially-commissioned trophy. Entrants presented six plain croissants to a panel of judges (who are no doubt the envy of thousands), including industry experts such as Darcie Maher, owner of Lannan Bakery; Rebecca Slade, last year’s winner and owner of Maple Leaf Bakery and Chloe Black, director of The Edinburgh Butter Company. Entries were judged on appearance - including uniformity, colour and shape - lamination skills, texture and flavour. While this was an Edinburgh-based event founded by an Edinburgh company, it’s the west that has taken home the award two years in a row. Last year saw Rebecca Slade of Maple Leaf Bakery win the inaugural competition - with the business seeing such success that their first shop is in the pipeline - while this year the winner was Wheatberry Bakery based in the southside of Glasgow. Competition founder and director of the Edinburgh Butter Company Chloe Black said of Glasgow being home to Scotland’s best croissants: “There’s so many good bakeries over in Glasgow and they’ve just had the edge the last two years. Having said that the runners up have been based all over Scotland - Bridge of Allan, Mallaig to name but a few) so maybe next year we’ll see a winner from elsewhere.” When it came to Wheatberry’s croissants, Ms Black said they were winners due to “looking great with a fantastic flaky texture and honeycomb interior but they also tasted delicious with a well-balanced buttery flavour.” Commenting on their win, the team at Wheatberry said: “We're absolutely over the moon to have been named Scotland's Best Croissant 2025 at this year's competition. “It feels a bit surreal - we're so proud of our team who pour their hearts (and a lot of butter) into every batch. “To be recognised among so many incredibly talented bakers across Scotland means the world to us.” As for Glasgow's bakery scene, Cassie Bekas from Wheatberry said: “Glasgow’s bakery scene has come a long way in the past few years. There’s a real sense of community and creativity — lots of bakers doing their own thing but cheering each other on. People in the city care about good food and good craft, and I think that’s helped the bakery scene thrive. Winning again just shows how much talent is here — watch out, France!” Ms Black is hoping to celebrate artisan bakeries across the UK with plans to introduce the competition in Wales in 2026 after success in Scotland and, for the first time this year, Northern Ireland. But for now with the trophy staying in Glasgow, it’s fair to say the city is riding high on pastry success as the croissant capital of Scotland. Read more: Scottish bakery owner urges customers to help after council ‘screwed over’ expansion plans Read more: Acclaimed Scots bakery with ‘incredible’ pastries and long queues to open new pantry Read more: The 9 best Scottish bakeries according to national food guide - including ‘Highlands community hub’
