Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Radio 2’s Sara Cox shouts out Carnoustie teen after Arbroath pie triumph

WeeCOOK's Cairn Robbie is the 19-year-old putting Scottish pies on the map after winning Young Pie Maker of the Year.

WeeCook's Cairn Robbie with his Young Pie Maker of The Year award.
WeeCook's Cairn Robbie with his Young Pie Maker of The Year award.

At just 19 years old, Cairn Robbie of WeeCOOK in Arbroath has been crowned Young Pie Maker of the Year at the prestigious British Pie Awards 2025.

His skill, dedication, and good-natured banter in the kitchen have made him a standout talent in Scotland’s pie-making scene.

Arbroath’s award-winning pie business, is no stranger to success at the British Pie Awards.

Pies are judged during the British Pie Awards 2025, at St Mary’s Church in Melton Mowbray. Image: Jacob King/PA Wire

This year’s win marks the second consecutive time a WeeCOOK team member has taken home the title and the fourth time in five years that one of their bakers has claimed the honour.

Dishwasher to pie chef

But Cairn’s journey to award-winning pie maker wasn’t exactly planned. His first step into the kitchen at the bakery wasn’t to make pies, but to scrub.

When Cairn first started working at WeeCOOK he was a dishwasher at The previous location in Carnoustie. Image: Kim Cessford / DC Thomson

“I started as a kitchen porter just after lockdown, washing dishes as a summer job,” Cairn recalls.

His introduction to the team happened by chance. He and his family were dining at the WeeCOOK Kitchen Café when he liked the energy and atmosphere of the place.

‘I loved the atmosphere’

“I needed a job, and I had no money coming in,” he says. “So, I handed in my CV and hoped for the best.”

It wasn’t long before he landed a trial shift, and from the very first day, he was given a chance to try his hand at pie-making.

Cairn Robbie with his trophy.

“I got to have a go at crimping a pie. Ethan, who was the pie baker at the time, let me try it out, and Hayley, the owner, said my crimping was better than his,” Cairn laughs.

That early spark of talent turned into a full-fledged passion, and over the years, Cairn honed his craft under the guidance of the WeeCOOK team.

Passion for pie-making

Cairn quickly progressed from washing dishes to working both in the kitchen and front-of-house.

“I did the dishes, prepped veg, helped with seafood, and even tried waitering for a while,” he says. “But I always liked cooking the best.”

And Cairn has been involved in developing new flavours, including the award-winning Butter Chicken pie.

“We take pies seriously here,” he says. “We’re always experimenting with new fillings, and it’s great to be part of that process.”

Team is like a family

He admits that working in a smaller team since the business moved from Carnoustie to Arbroath has made them all incredibly close.

“It’s like a second family,” he says. “Everyone is really lovely.”

WeeCOOK pies. Image: Kim Cessford / DC Thomson

At home, Cairn’s love for food runs deep. Cooking has always been a shared family experience, with everyone chipping in.

“We all take turns cooking meals, but obviously, I’m the best,” he jokes. His personal favourite dish? A classic carbonara.

From kitchen to spotlight

Winning the Young Pie Maker of the Year title was a whirlwind experience for Cairn. “We sent the pies down to the competition – Hayley actually drove them down herself.

“I didn’t even know I’d be going until the last minute!” he says. “I had to leave at 3.30 in the morning to get to just outside Leicester for the awards, so it was a long day, but totally worth it.”

The event itself was an eye-opener for the young baker. “It was amazing to meet so many people who do what I do, to put faces to names I’d heard about in the industry,” he says.

WeeCOOK pie maker Ethan O’Hare. Image: Steve MacDougall/DC Thomson

His family was overjoyed with his win, although they were just as shocked as he was by the sudden trip south.

The recognition didn’t stop there. Cairn was even mentioned on Sara Cox’s BBC Radio 2 show, much to the delight of his proud parents.

Sticking to career in Esports

Despite the attention, he remains grounded, balancing his pie-making career with his studies in Esports at college.

“I love making pies, but my main goal is to work in Esports, maybe as a tournament commentator,” he says.

While his future may hold a different path, Cairn’s passion for pies remains strong. “I don’t eat any other pies now – only WeeCOOK’s,” he admits.

His personal favourite was the now-retired Pepper Pig pie, which featured black pudding, pulled pork, and peppercorn sauce.

“Right now, my top choices are the Butter Chicken and the MacChook.”

WeeCOOK’s continued success

Cairn’s achievement wasn’t the only win for WeeCOOK at the British Pie Awards. The business also took home multiple medals and two best-in-class titles.

Their MacChook Pie – a combination of haggis, chicken, and bacon – was named Best Hot Savoury Pie in Britain.

WeeCOOK pies. Supplied by Mepics/WeeCOOK

This follows previous wins for the MacChook at the Scottish Bakers Scotch Pie Awards, where it earned the title of Best Speciality Savoury Pie in Scotland.

Another standout success for the team was their Chicken & Bacon Pie, which was crowned Class Champion in its category.

Owner/chef Hayley Wilkes attributes their continued success to the quality ingredients and passion behind each pie.

WeeCOOK chef/owner Hayley Wilkes. Image: Kim Cessford / DC Thomson

“We believe in making proper tasty pies that our customers love and want to come back for,” she says.

As for Cairn, he’s happy to be part of a team that takes pie-making to the next level.

“It’s amazing to see Scottish pies getting the recognition they deserve,” he says.

“And I’m proud to show that young people in Scotland can make a real impact on the food industry.”

Conversation