The Dairy Council for Northern Ireland is delighted to announce The Cottage Coffee Shop as the winner of their search for the Best Scone in Northern Ireland.
The Cottage in Derry / Londonderry, who claimed the £1,000 hospitality voucher prize, was announced as the winner of the competition at last night’s award ceremony at the Merchant Hotel Belfast.
The competition received almost 15,000 public votes for 107 local businesses across the hospitality sector in Northern Ireland. It was launched by the Dairy Council in the search to find the best scones in cafés, hotels and restaurants as part of a campaign to support local hospitality businesses across Northern Ireland who have been affected by the Covid–19 pandemic. The campaign is funded by the EU.
Dr Mike Johnston MBE, CEO for the Dairy Council for Northern Ireland commented;
“We have been delighted with the support of businesses and the public for this competition. Scones are a special part of the culinary culture of Northern Ireland and the level of engagement we have had has shown how important it is to enjoy a scone with friends and family. We were particularly pleased to organise this competition as a way of helping the hospitality sector reopen following COVID lock–down.
Cafes, restaurants and hotels are important customers for our dairy companies and the use a lot of milk, butter, cream and cheese, not only in their scones, but also in the many dishes they prepare and serve each day. We have been pleased to work with these hospitality businesses through this competition, and to emphasise the many benefits of dairy products in helping chefs provide delicious food for their customers”
In additional to the overall winner category, there were also prizes awarded for the three categories of café, hotel and restaurant. The Cottage also hold the prize for best Cafe, Dobbins Inn, Carrickfergus claimed the award for the best hotel category and The Dairy, Gleno were named as the winner for the best restuarant category at last night’s awards.
Following the initial voting stage, the judging panel visited the finalists in the bid to find the Best Scones in NI. The panel consisted of local celebrity chef, Paula McIntyre, food education consultant, Glynis Henderson and Dairy Council NI representative, Valerie Rossborough.
To find out more information about our competition, visit www.bestsconesni.com.
The fifteen finalists were: Café Vic–Ryn, Ciara’s Home Bakes, Espresso at Etc, Patricia’s Coffee House, The Cottage Coffee Shop, Adair Arms Hotel, Dobbins Inn Hotel, Leona’s Tea Room at Magherabuoy House, Oranmore House, The Conservatory – Galgorm Spa & Golf Resort, Harrisons of Greyabbey, Logans Restaurant and Café, Restaurant Sorrento, The Dairy and the Millwheel Restaurant.
Pictured: Front, Michelle from The Cottage and Best Scone NI awards host Claire McCollum. Back, L to R Glynis Henderson, Paula McIntyre, Valerie Rossborough and Mike Johnston
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