Smokery reaches food and drink finals
The Island Smokery is celebrating after being named as a finalist for the Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards 2019.
The annual awards, which recognise the highest quality produce in the country, as well as the leading individuals, suppliers and companies, received a record 320 entries across all categories — a 20 per cent rise from 2018, most notably in distilling which increased from 18 in 2018 to 41 this year.
The company was named as a finalist in the Cheese & Dairy category of the awards for its Dark Island Cheddar.
Now in its 20th year, the Excellence Awards have been restructured for 2019 and focus on the standout products driving value and consumer choice in the market.
Winners from all 19 categories will be announced in front of 800 guests at a prestigious awards ceremony and dinner on Thursday, May 23, in the Corn Exchange, Edinburgh.
Callum MacInnes, owner of The Island Smokery, said: “We’re delighted to have been selected as one of the finalists at the Excellence Awards.
“We’re a small team and dedicated to only producing the best we can. I’m very proud of the staff who do a great job and are always looking for the next product.”
James Withers, chief executive of Scotland Food & Drink, added: “Every year the Excellence Awards attract an incredibly diverse range of entrants, all of which are of a very high quality. This year we’ve had a record number of entries and the standard has never been higher.
“While tasting each of the products entered into the awards sounds like a dream, in reality, selecting the very best of the best has been extremely difficult for our expert judging panel.
For the full line-up of finalists, you can visit: http://excellenceawards.foodanddrink.scot/.