Edinburgh’s Patina bakery crowned winner of Scotland’s Best Croissant Competition 2026
Patina bakery, based at Edinburgh Park, has been crowned winner of Scotland’s Best Croissant competition 2026.
The judging for the award took place at The Balmoral earlier this week. Glasgow bakeries Maple Leaf and kaf, took second and third place, respectively.
The competition attracted 17 entrants from across Scotland, including The Palmerston and Peregrine in Edinburgh; Birch Bakery, with sites in both Inverness and Skye; Eusebi and Outlier in Glasgow; and The Fat Batard in Peebles.
Each bakery presented six plain croissants to a panel of expert judges, including Cassie Bekas, last year’s winner and owner of Wheatberry Bakery; Darcie Maher, owner of Lannan Bakery; and Zoe Ridgway, head pastry chef at The Balmoral. Entries were judged on appearance, including uniformity, colour and shape, as well as lamination skills, texture and flavour.
The competition is open to all registered bakeries based in Scotland. Participants crafted their croissant entries using The Edinburgh Butter Company’s sheet butter, which has been specially formulated for pastry lamination.
Winner of the competition, Clothilde Vadin, assistant head baker at Patina, said: “We’re really happy with Patina’s progression in the competition, having placed second and third in previous years. That’s all due to our head baker, Linda – she really brings the team together and delivers this level of excellence every single day.”
New for this year’s competition, there was also a separate judging category for the best bake made entirely from the off-cuts of the lamination process. All entrants were invited to submit a second item, with no restrictions on flavour or decoration, offering an opportunity to showcase creativity beyond the traditional croissant.
Ayrshire-based Buns & Crumbs won for its pecan, date and sea-salt twist, Edinburgh’s Sloe Lane took second place and Patina was placed third.
Chloe Black, director of The Edinburgh Butter Company said: “Every year this competition gets bigger and better and the level of skill and passion from these bakers never ceases to amaze us.
"Having the additional offcuts competition this year was another way for these bakers to showcase their creativity. Well done to everyone that took part. The pastries really were exceptional.”
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