I was a judge at a giant empire biscuit making challenge - it was showstopping
The launch of the 2026 Scottish Baker of the Year Awards kicked off with a larger than life competition, finds Rosalind Erskine.
I can’t remember the last time I needed to be at a Fife College building by 9am (I suspect it was some time in my sixth year at school) but it’s where I found myself on a sunny Wednesday 28 January, delighted to be a judge for a giant empire biscuit competition.
Yes, a giant empire biscuit competition. It was a fun and interactive event to kick off the Scottish Baker of the Year Awards, which will take place in May 2026, and there were four Scottish bakeries competing to take home the empire biscuit trophy. These were McGhee’s, Harry Gow, Company Bakery and John Gillespie and Son.
What had originally been planned for a room within the Carnegie Conference and Events Centre in Dunfermline had to be moved into the ground floor of the atrium within the building, as the four biscuits were so large.
Each team had three hours to construct their ready-made shortbread into the base, and top of the biscuit (not before adding jam), which were then topped with icing and huge joob joobs or glace cherries.
Led by host, head judge and 2020 Bake Off winner Peter Sawkins, I joined the judging panel of Julia Bryce, Paul Long, Allan Burns from Carrs flour mill, Paul Long from Bako and Peter and spent the morning marvelling at the bakers pushing the limits of scale and structure as the mammoth biscuits took shape.
Three of the bakers constructed theirs on site while Fraser and David Gow, sons of the famous Harry Gow bakery chains in the north east, transported their already-made giant biscuit in a van, from Inverness.
“We left at 6am and it was bumpy on the A9 all the way down and through a bit of a snow storm through the Drumochter Pass. But that’s nothing to us Highlanders,” said Fraser Gow. The trick, the brothers said, was to put a couple of duvets under the specially constructed board that the biscuit was on, to minimise any impacts from the bumpy road.
Once the biscuits were complete it was time to judge. We were looking to score things like shape, balance of flavour, size, topping creativity, smell and jam content. It was a tight-run race, but it was Harry Gow’s that pipped the others to the post to win the Local Heroes Empire trophy.
David Gow said of their win: “We’re absolutely so chuffed to win the world’s largest empire biscuit. It has been a lot of work and a big challenge but we came through in the end and the judges seemed to love it.
“Being part of the Empire Biscuit Challenge has been an absolute blast. The scale, the detail, the friendly rivalry, it was all amazing. Huge congratulations to everyone who took part, and we’re delighted to bring the win home for the Icons today.”
Peter Sawkins added: “There was such a great atmosphere throughout the day, competitive, yes, but also incredibly supportive. Everyone involved should be proud of what they achieved. It’s events like this that remind you how strong and connected the Scottish baking community really is.”
Lesley Cameron, CEO at Scottish Bakers said: "What a brilliant day celebrating the incredible talent across Scotland’s baking industry. Whether you’re a Local Hero or an Icon, today was about pushing creativity, precision, and teamwork to the next level. We’d also like to thank our Awards Partner BAKO, the leading supplier of Bakery Products and Ingredients servicing customers across the UK, for their invaluable support.
“Congratulations to our winners and to every baker who took part, you’ve made history and made Scotland very, very jammy."
McGhees and Company Bakery donated their empire biscuits to local food banks, while Harry Gow and John Gillespie & Sons gifted their empire biscuits for Fife College to enjoy.
The Empire Biscuit Challenge officially launched the new look Scottish Baker of the Year Awards 2026, a one day and night competition celebrating excellence across Scotland’s bakery sector.
Driven by industry insight and expert judging, the awards aim to boost bakery pride, unite bakers, and raise consumer awareness of the skill behind Scotland’s baking.
While there was no official new world record, it was a brilliant morning celebrating some of Scotland’ most iconic bakeries and reignited my love for these traditional biscuits.
Entries for the Scottish Baker of the Year Awards 2026 are now open. Bakeries across Scotland are invited to enter. Find out more and enter at https://bakeroftheyear.scot/.
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.