Portstewart's Vittle Bakeshop takes part in first NI's Best Croissant competition

Hosted by The Edinburgh Butter Co, the competition attracted some of Northern Ireland’s finest bakers to submit their best croissant in a celebration of craftsmanship, flavour, and flaky perfection.

The judges had the unenviable task of choosing a first, second and third. Winner of Northern Ireland’s Best Croissant Competition was Mamo Patisserie in Belfast, in second place was Lazy Claire Patisserie in Belfast and in third place was Glume Boulangerie in Moira.

Following the success of Scotland’s Best Croissant Competition, the debut of the Northern Ireland event brought together talented artisan bakers from across the country. In a strong field of entries, Mamo Patisserie received a specially commissioned trophy by Ian Moran of Metal Moran, Coleraine.

Chloe Black, Director of The Edinburgh Butter Co said: “At The Edinburgh Butter Co we believe that great butter deserves to be used in great baking, and the croissant is the ultimate showcase of both technique and ingredients. Crispy, golden, buttery, and beautifully layered!

“It’s been fantastic to bring the Best Croissant competition to Northern Ireland for the first time. The quality of entries has been truly outstanding and the bakers have showcased the exceptional skill, creativity and passion of bakers across Northern Ireland.

“At The Edinburgh Butter Co we wanted to recognise the people who get up before dawn to layer butter and dough with precision and care, creating magic in the form of a pastry, and we’re thrilled to shine a spotlight on them with our competition.

“It was so difficult for the judges to choose as all the entries came extremely close to meeting the judges’ criteria. We were looking for uniformity of appearance, that lovely golden colour and of course the croissant shape, together with perfect lamination and incredible buttery flavour.”

Bakers from Bread & Banjo, Belfast; Counter Culture, Bangor; Fera, Belfast; Folk Espresso, Enniskillen; Glume, Moira; Lazy Claire, Belfast; Mamo Patisserie, Belfast; The Daily Apron. Lisburn; and Vittle Bakeshop, Portstewart presented six plain croissants to a panel of judges comprising industry experts, including Chloe Black, Director of The Edinburgh Butter Co; Jimmy Griffin, Master Baker; Darcie Maher, owner of Lannan Bakery in Edinburgh; and Michele Shirlow, CEO of Food NI.