Edinburgh wins at Scotland Food and Drink Excellence Awards

East Coast Cured scooped two gongs at the ceremony last night, hosted by top restaurant critic and prominent foodie Jay Rayner.

Run by husband and wife team Susie and Steven Anderson from a deceptively small shop on Restalrig Road, the judges were impressed by their porcini and truffle salami as well as the whisky oak smoked ndjua.

The Drinks Bakery, based in Morningside, won first in the snacking category with a perfect bake on the brand’s Lancashire cheese and spring onion drinks biscuits.

Founded by Andy Murray in 2016, The Drinks Bakery has created a range of savoury snacks that are flavour-profiled to complement some of the nation’s favourite alcoholic drinks. This carefully curated collection of ‘drinks biscuits’ also includes Parmesan, Toasted Pine Nuts & Basil, Mature Cheddar, Chilli & Almond, Pecorino, Rosemary & Scottish Seaweed and Lancashire Cheese & Spring Onion, with all four products coming with pairing suggestions for a number of beers, wines and spirits.

The evening reached a poignant note when First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, presented the Outstanding Contribution Award posthumously to one of Scotland’s greatest chefs, Andrew Fairlie. Accepted by his wife, Kate Fairlie it acknowledged the impact Andrew Fairlie had on the sector, and the instrumental role he played in inspiring an entire generation of Scottish chefs.

She said: “Andrew Fairlie was one of Scotland’s greatest chefs and his passion for and promotion of Scottish food and drink inspired many people both here and abroad. While Andrew was taken from us far too soon, his contribution to the industry and to Scotland will always be remembered.“Our food and drink industry is one of Scotland’s success stories, with recent figures showing this growth sector achieved record turnover, so it was fantastic to celebrate the people and businesses who are behind these achievements.”

Some 52 businesses were named as finalists across 19 categories.

Chief Executive of Scotland Food & Drink, James Withers, added: “The passion of the farmers, fishermen and food and drink producers within the industry is inspiring. The pursuit of perfection, combined with a genuine appetite for innovating, means we have some of the best businesses and products in the world.”

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