A Glasgow bakery has been awarded the title of “Scotland’s Best Croissant”.
On Monday, the winner of the brand-new contest celebrating the best croissants in the country was unveiled. The inaugural competition was hosted by Edinburgh Butter Company at The Balmoral Hotel.
Maple Leaf Bakery in Glasgow took home the coveted top prize. The home-based ‘microbakery’ is situated in the southside of Glasgow, and is owned by Rebecca Slade.
Operated out of Slade’s kitchen, Maple Leaf Bakery triumphed over bakeries from all across Scotland to be crowned the winner of ‘Scotland’s Best Croissant’. HAVN in Bridge of Allan came in second place, while Patina in Edinburgh finished third.
Due to its small size, Maple Leaf Bakery creates small batches of goods with an emphasis on quality rather than quantity. The bakery makes use of traditional techniques and quality ingredients.
The winner of the award was decided by a panel of judges that included executive pastry chef at The Balmoral Ross Sneddon, head pastry chef at the two Michelin-starred The Glenturret Lalique Kayleigh Turner, and Director of Edinburgh Butter Company Chloe Black. Each entry was carefully assessed based on shape, colour, pastry development, texture, and taste.
Slade commented: “It means so much to me to win this competition, particularly as a small home-based bakery. There is so much talent and dedication to the craft among the amazing artisan bakeries we have in Scotland, which is why I’m honoured to be recognised by these incredibly skilled judges.
“I am also indebted to Edinburgh Butter Company, whose pastry butter I’ve used since the very beginning. For me, baking has always been a labour of love, and I’m grateful to have the opportunity to share that with others.”
Black added: “We were impressed with the extremely high standard of all the entries, but Maple Leaf’s croissant really stood out for us and we unanimously agreed that that croissant deserved the trophy. We were thrilled to award Rebecca with a restaurant voucher for top Edinburgh restaurant Tipo alongside a specially commissioned trophy created by O&Co Blacksmiths.
“We wanted to create a special trophy for the winner to proudly display in their bakery and we are really pleased with what Olly fabricated for us.”
More information about the competition can be found on the Scotland’s Best Croissant website.
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