The Edinburgh food hall Bonnie & Wild has been crowned Best for Scotland by a panel of the country’s most high-profile and influential industry leaders.

The popular food hall received the prestigious accolade in the Best for Scottish (independent) Business award category at Wednesday’s Scotland Food and Drink Awards in recognition of its work championing Scottish food and drink producers.

Launched in the summer of 2021, Bonnie & Wild’s Scottish Marketplace quickly established itself as one of the country’s leading food and drink venues, and home to more than a dozen kitchens, bars and speciality retailers all serving up high quality food and drink with a strong Scottish provenance.

Now Bonnie & Wild has been officially recognised for its work in promoting Scotland’s food and drink, as well as its culture through various exhibitions and events, including the monthly White Heather Club ceilidhs.

Judges at the Scotland Food and Drink Awards praised Bonnie & Wild for using its Scottish Marketplace to showcase the best of Scottish hospitality.

Bonnie & Wild’s Managing Director Ryan Barrie said: “All of us at Bonnie & Wild are incredibly proud to receive this important award for our work promoting the best of Scottish food, drink and culture. It’s something we’re all deeply passionate about, and which is at the very heart of our food hall. I think everyone involved in Bonnie & Wild should be very proud as it’s recognition of the tremendous collective efforts we’ve made as a team to showcase the best of Scotland. The fact we have a queue most days shows that this is something that chimes with locals and visitors alike and is of great importance to our many thousands of guests who’ve come to know us for our great food and drink, beautiful setting and exemplary service.

“Receiving this recognition at the national Scotland Food & Drink awards is a fantastic achievement for the business, and I would like to thank everyone at Bonnie & Wild, as well as the judges and event organisers at Scotland Food & Drink.”

With the aim of showcasing local talent, Bonnie & Wild’s Food Hall has enabled smaller Scottish food businesses to operate within the city centre’s St James Quarter development. Each of the owner-operated units within the marketplace are themselves local businesses, such as Gary Maclean’s seafood restaurant Creel Caught and UK Burger Award winners El Perro Negro.

Also shortlisted for the Best for Scotland award were Aberdeen fish wholesaler and retailer Amity, Castleton Farm and Fisher & Donaldson bakery in Fife. The awards comprised 14 taste and 7 business categories, which recognised businesses for their outstanding contributions to elevating Scotland’s reputation as a land of food and drink.

Iain Baxter, Chief Executive at Scotland Food & Drink, said: “The Excellence Awards truly highlight the breadth and diversity within Scotland’s food and drink sector, showcasing a thriving industry that continues to evolve at an exciting pace. The quality of this year’s submissions speaks to the resilience and innovation driving our sector forward and we want to offer our heartfelt congratulations to all of this year’s winners and finalists.”

The annual awards, which recognise the highest quality produce as well as the leading individuals, suppliers, and companies,  come in the wake of the announcement of the Scottish food and drink sector reaching a record high value, contributing £14.8bn to the Scottish economy.