Carnoustie restaurant and piemaker WeeCOOK was one of the biggest winners at the Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards (9 October), taking both Scottish Product of the Year and Fish & Seafood Product of the Year.
Known for its blend of traditional and modern Scottish cuisine, judges praised the brand’s pies and WeeCOOK’s dedication to utilising seafood sourced from local waters, such as Arbroath smokies, Shetland mussels, and North Sea haddock.
The Excellence Awards have been recognising the brightest and best of Scotland’s food and drink industry for more than 20 years, and this year comprised of 14 tasted awards and seven business categories.
Reflecting this year’s theme, ‘Sustaining Scotland – Supplying the World,’ Highland Game Loin won the Meat Product of the Year for its premium ‘hill to plate’ venison and for developing the game meat’s supply chain to restaurants and retailers alike.
In the business categories, Bonnie & Wild secured the Best for Scottish (Independent Business) award while Stirling’s Old Leckie Farm was named Primary Producer of the Year.
Dundee’s 71 Brewing scooped the Beer & Cider Product of the Year Award for its Haze Halo 5.0% Hazy IPA, while Aldi was named both Best For Scottish (Multiple) and Confectionery Product of the Year for its Specially Selected Scottish Sicilian Lemon Shortbread Rounds.
Hosted by TV personality Simon Rimmer, star of Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch, the awards ceremony at The Doubletree in Glasgow was attended by 500 people from across the industry.
Congratulating all the winners and finalists, Iain Baxter, chief executive at Scotland Food & Drink, said: “The Excellence Awards celebrate Scotland’s food and drink producers, whose drive and dedication take the industry from strength to strength each year. The calibre of this year’s entries is a testament to the innovation and skill that are ubiquitous within our sector, setting new benchmarks for quality and creativity.”
Ashley Connolly, local buying manager for Scotland at headline sponsor Asda, headed up the judging panel for the tasted product categories.
She added: “This year’s judging was one of the toughest yet, with so many exceptional products on offer – a true reflection of the outstanding quality across the industry. Congratulations once more to all the winners, who really stood out in an incredibly competitive field.”
