Hebrides Cruises Wins Scotland’s Top Food Tourism Award

Hebrides Cruises, the family-run small ship wildlife cruise company based in Oban, has won the Food Tourism Business Award at the 2025 Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards.

The award recognises the company’s exceptional food experience aboard all its cruises, which showcase the very best of the Highlands and Islands’ produce.

Chefs on board create menus using seasonal, locally sourced produce, such as hand-dived scallops caught by Hebrides Cruises’ Owner and Skipper, Rob Barlow; Mull mussels, Glengorm beef, venison, local artisan cheeses and foraged herbs.

Guests are welcomed on board with homemade scones and canapés, served with a glass of fizz, before enjoying days of food and drink highlights, from whisky liqueur cocktails sipped on a Hebridean beach as the waves lap against the shore, to a steaming rum hot chocolate when the weather turns chilly.

A highlight of Hebrides Cruises’ calendar is the ‘In Search of Seafood’ itinerary, a four-night culinary adventure departing from Oban. Guests embark on a voyage to experience the finest provenance from the Inner Hebrides, while enjoying breathtaking landscapes, wildlife encounters and award-winning highland hospitality.

The cruise, which launched earlier this year and sold out within hours, offers guests the opportunity to enjoy the freshest catches of the day, picked and presented on their dinner plates in the very places where they were caught.

Guests visit locations on Mull where oysters and mussels are grown sustainably and even pick them from honesty boxes on shore, while crab, langoustine and lobster are brought aboard from passing fishing vessels.

The cruise is led by former MasterChef quarterfinalist William Rocks, Chef Patron at Tigh an Truish, on the Isle of Seil.

Hebrides Cruises is also exploring ways to build on the interactive element of its cruises, giving guests new opportunities to learn from chefs about the art of Scottish cooking, sustainable practices and the provenance of ingredients.

Emma Fairbairns, Rob’s daughter and Shore Manager of Hebrides Cruises, said: “This award means so much to us because food is such a central part of the Hebrides Cruises experience. Our chefs work incredibly hard to create dining of the highest standard using the finest Scottish ingredients, and to be recognised nationally in this category is a huge honour. For our small, family-run company based in Oban and all of our crew and chefs, this is a really special moment.”

Now in their 25th year, the Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards are recognised as the highest accolades in the industry, shining a spotlight on the best products, people and businesses from across the country. The 2025 awards attracted more than 200 entries across 12 product and 10 business categories.

Iain Baxter, Chief Executive at Scotland Food & Drink, said: “The Excellence Awards shine a spotlight on the outstanding producers whose passion, innovation, and hard work continue to drive Scotland’s food and drink industry forward. The quality of this year’s entries has been exceptional, showcasing the creativity and craftsmanship that set new standards for our sector. Congratulations to all the winners and finalists – their success is a true reflection of the strength and reputation of Scotland’s world-class food and drink community.”

This latest accolade cements Hebrides Cruises’ reputation as one of Scotland’s most unique travel experiences, combining wildlife encounters, spectacular scenery and luxury small ship hospitality with a food tourism offering that has now been recognised as the best in the country.