Trait has been crowned Northern Ireland’s Best Croissant 2026, taking the coveted title at the second annual competition organised by The Edinburgh Butter Company on Monday 2 November at Andrew Ingredients in Lisburn.
The competition celebrates the talent and craftsmanship of Northern Ireland’s independent bakeries. Entries were assessed through a blind tasting, with croissants judged on appearance, lamination, texture and flavour. Each entrant submitted six plain croissants made using The Edinburgh Butter Company’s cultured butter sheets, specially developed for pastry lamination.
The judging panel comprised Jimmy Griffin, master baker and lamination specialist; food champion Paula McIntyre; and 2025 champion and artisan baker Saul Kearney.
Located in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter, Trait’s croissant came out top because of excellent lamination skills, a beautiful crumb and delicious buttery flavour.
The Trait team received a bespoke trophy created by Metal Moran, alongside a break to Harrison Chambers of Distinction, Belfast. Prizes were also awarded to the runners-up, with entrants receiving goodie bags in recognition of their participation. Second place went to Hunters and third place to Culture Bakeries.
New for 2026, the Best Off-Cuts Bake competition challenged entrants to turn pastry off-cuts into inventive bakes, showcasing creativity and reducing waste in the baking process. The category was judged by food content creators The Gourmet Boys and journalist Denise Watson. The winner was Glume with their fig and pistachio Danish which wowed the judges with its beautiful light texture and delicate flavours.
Organised by The Edinburgh Butter Company, the event brought together bakers and industry professionals to celebrate excellence in pastry making, share expertise and recognise the skill behind exceptional viennoiserie. Andrew Ingredients as Gold Sponsor and host, welcoming entrants to Bill’s Bakery at its Lisburn premises. Re-wrap also attended showcasing their range of organic cotton tote bags and Griffin Foods provided chocolate tastings.
Chloe Black, Director of The Edinburgh Butter Company, said:
“Northern Ireland has an incredible community of artisan bakers, and this competition is about celebrating the talent, passion and craftsmanship behind their work. The standard of entries demonstrates the dedication of local bakers to their craft, and we’re delighted to recognise this year’s winners and the creativity shown across both competitions.”
Claire Andrew of Andrew Ingredients added:
“We’re delighted to support Northern Ireland’s Best Croissant Competition and celebrate the incredible talent within our local baking industry. It’s fantastic to see bakers come together to share their skills and push the standards of artisan baking. Congratulations to this year’s winners, whose achievements reflect the quality and commitment within the sector.”
For further information, visit https://bestcroissantcompetitions.co.uk/northern-ireland/ or follow The Edinburgh Butter Company on Instagram.
