Emma 
Reigning world scotch pie champs win
SCOTTISH BAKER OF THE YEAR
Craft bakery and family owned business The Kandy Bar of Saltcoats has been announced as the Scottish Baker of the Year 2016 at a ceremony hosted by Scottish Bakers.
The Kandy Bar were also recognised as:-
The Best Retail Baker of the Year 2016
Biscuit Category: Regional Gold in the Borders and Lowlands for their shortbread
Biscuit Category: Regional Bronze for their Empire Biscuit
Individual Cake Category: Regional Bronze Award for their French Fancy
Morning Roll Category: Best Morning Roll in the Borders and Lowlands for their well fired.
Morning Roll Category: Silver Award in the Borders and Lowlands for their Morning Roll
Savoury Category: Regional Bronze Award for their Macaroni Pie in Region
“I am absolutely delighted, shocked, stunned…..WOW! To have taken the World Scotch Pie title for the second time in January and now to take the title of Scottish Baker of the Year, words cannot express how delighted I am” said The Kandy Bar owner Stephen McAllister. “The Kandy Bar is my family business and we are proud to be a long established concern, we take our business very seriously. We use traditional methods and craftsmen’s skills and the brand is steeped in valuable heritage. But we could not have come this far in the competition without our dedicated and skilled team and without the votes of all of our customers, Thank you.”
Chief Executive of Scottish Bakers Alan Clarke commented “It’s been a long journey to get to this point. Over 15,000 customers from across Scotland voted for their favourite bakery products across six categories. Judging day saw 110 bakers deliver 600 of their most popular scones, loaves, savoury items, morning rolls, individual cakes and biscuits for judging by the professionals whose job it was to decide upon the best six products in the land and just nine of the top bakers in Scotland have made it to the all-important business category.
But there can only be one SCOTTISH BAKER OF THE YEAR and The Kandy Bar are a worthy winner.”
The Scottish Baker of the Year Awards was devised by Scottish Bakers to raise awareness of the bakery industry in Scotland.
Scottish Bakers asked customers across Scotland to vote for their favourite bakery items in the following categories: morning roll, scone, small cake, savoury, biscuit and bread scoring each on appearance, freshness, taste and value for money.
The top products in each category were baked and delivered to Dunfermline for judging by a panel of independent experts. The judges had one day only to look at the best baked items in the country in order to decide the regional and national winners.
Each category was divided into 3 regions, covering Northern, Central and Southern Scotland. Within each category the judges awarded a Gold, Silver and Bronze. All Bronze, Silver and Gold national and regional winners were then invited to enter into the business judging stage of the Scottish Baker of the Year competition to select the best bakery business in Scotland.
“Our Scottish Baker of the Year has shown time and again that they are a worthy winner by making it through each and every stage of the competition with flying colours” continued Alan. “For every baker who was entered by a customer, for all of our shortlisted bakers and for all of our members who have helped and supported us in making this competition happen, I offer my warmest congratulations. We are a great industry making quality products day in and day out and we should be proud.”
