Scotland’s Best Croissant Competition Returns for Third Year

Edinburgh Butter Company announces new category for artisan bakers

The Edinburgh Butter Company has announced the return of its Scotland’s Best Croissant competition, inviting artisan bakers from across the country to compete for the title on Monday 26 October. Now in its third year, the competition will take place at The Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh, where entrants will present six plain croissants to a panel of industry judges.

Competitors’ croissants will be assessed on appearance, including uniformity, colour and shape, alongside lamination, texture and flavour. The overall winner will receive a specially commissioned trophy created by O&Co Blacksmiths, with prizes also awarded to the first, second and third placed entries.

The judging panel includes Ross Sneddon, CIS Pastry Chef of the Year 2026 and Regional Executive Pastry Chef at The Balmoral, and Chloe Black, director of The Edinburgh Butter Company. Cassie Bekas, owner of Glasgow East End artisan bakery Wheatberry Bakery, who claimed last year’s title, will return to the event this year as a judge.

The competition is open to registered bakeries based in Scotland, and all entrants must use The Edinburgh Butter Company’s sheet butter, which has been developed specifically for pastry lamination. A new category has been introduced for 2026, inviting bakers to create a second item made entirely from off-cuts produced during the lamination process. There are no restrictions on flavour or decoration for this additional bake.

Cassie Bekas said: “Winning Scotland’s Best Croissant last year was a huge moment for us at Wheatberry. As a small independent bakery, you spend so much time focused on the day-to-day and constantly trying to improve what you do, so having our croissant recognised in that way genuinely meant a lot to us and to the whole team. I love that the competition celebrates that skill and brings together some brilliant bakers from across Scotland and I’m really excited to come back this year from the other side of the table as a judge. Having been an entrant myself, I know how much work will have gone into every croissant we taste, so I’m really looking forward to seeing what everyone brings.”

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Chloe Black added: “We’re so excited to return for the third year of Scotland’s Best Croissant Competition, celebrating the creativity and exceptional skill behind one of the world’s most beloved pastries. We’ve had some fantastic winners in the first two years and we’re excited to see who takes the crown this year.”

Duchess & Alleycat, a branded packaging specialist, and regenerative organic flour producer Shipton Mill have joined the event as gold sponsors. The Scottish contest follows the success of Scotland’s Best Croissant and Northern Ireland’s Best Croissant, which was introduced last year. An inaugural Wales’ Best Croissant competition is also scheduled to take place on Monday 16 November.

Scotland’s Best Croissant will run from 9am to 2pm at The Balmoral Hotel, Edinburgh, on Monday 26 October. Entries close on Wednesday 30 September 2026. More information, including entry and sponsorship details, is available at bestcroissantcompetitions.co.uk/scotland.