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.

Two Aberdeen winners toast success at Scottish Italian Awards

Successes across 24 categories were announced at last night's award ceremony.

Ruth Thomas, owner of Firemill Pizza and Grill in Milltimber, Aberdeen. Image: Kenny Elrick/DC Thomson
Ruth Thomas, owner of Firemill Pizza and Grill in Milltimber, Aberdeen. Image: Kenny Elrick/DC Thomson

A pair of Aberdeen businesses won top honours at the Scottish Italian Awards.

Firemill Pizza & Grill in Milltimber won the title for Scotland’s best pizza at the ceremony last night.

And Da Vinci Italian Restaurant in Aberdeen was named best restaurant in the north.

The 10th annual version of the awards took place in Glasgow, with winners announced across 24 categories.

Firemill Pizza tastes victory at awards

Firemill Pizza is the brainchild of Ruth Thomas, who launched it during lockdown.

The business took to social media to celebrate its success at the Scottish Italian Awards.

In a post on Facebook, it said: “Something mental happened last night.

“This little pizza place walked away with the Italian Awards ‘best pizza in Scotland’ award.”

The takeaway also came away with the title of UK Italian Pizza Champions after beating winners from England and Wales in a UK-wide event.

Ruth Thomas with Isla, nine, and Ethan, seven. Image: Kenny Elrick/DC Thomson

The post continued: “We cannot believe it.

“Thank you so much to everyone who voted in support of our little business, allowing us to compete on this massive stage, alongside so many amazing restaurants and chefs.

“Thank you to my amazing team and family for supporting this crazy passion of mine, and making it possible to bring pizza to the people of Milltimber and beyond.”

Da Vinci Restaurant on top at Scottish Italian Awards

Da Vinci, owned by Elena Ionascu, won the kings of the north category at the awards.

Elena previously said she works 50-hour weeks in order to keep up with demand.

In a Facebook post her business said: “What a great night. We are happy to announce that we the award.

“Officially Scotland’s best Italian restaurant in the north. Thank you all for all your support.”

A spokesperson for the Scottish Italian Awards said: “From the start of the Italian Awards our goal has been to ensure Italian businesses are given as much exposure as possible.

Elena Ionascu runs Da Vinci’s Italian Restaurant. Image: Kenny Elrick/DC Thomson

“There are some real hidden gems. Winning… at the Italian Awards can change your hidden gem into a national sensation.

“Our 10th anniversary did not disappoint. The passion and determination of Italian restaurateurs helps maintain Italian cuisine as the number one choice for diners in Scotland.

“I want to congratulate all winners and highly recommended businesses for 2023.”

Conversation