We believe in handmaking everything from scratch, working as a team, and ensuring ‘local’ truly means local.
Supreme Champion Scottish Bread Awards 2026
Courie Courie Bakery, Aboyne has been awarded Supreme Champion at the prestigious Scottish Bread Championships which took place at the Bowhouse, Fife in February 2026! We are delighted that our bread has earned national recognition for quality, flavour and provenance.
“A village bakery is a timeless idea, and there’s an impression that it must be a pleasant way to work, and it is. I love seeing the progress in the products. What I am making now felt like a fairy tale for me a few years ago. It’s really motivating to be recognised like this, and it really helps me to keep improving, grow the business, and support like-minded community bakeries to get set up and grow”. Dougal Stonebridge, Courie Courie founder and baker.
Happy and healthy sourdough bugs need good food, and we spend a ton of time making sure they get exactly what they like.
On Low Road in the early mornings morning our bakers are slinging sourdough, rolling pastries, making fillings and creme patissiere and making all the products that will land in the shop and at farmers markets and other events.
Our Station Brae shop in Aboyne is a smiley and welcoming wee space smelling of warm bread and coffee, with the constant steam of the coffee machine on the go. The bread racks are stacked full of loaves, buns and unusual breads for sharing (or not, as the case may be!) like fougasse and foccacia, and a bright welcoming counter where you can buy all kinds of mouthwatering pastries and other delights.
Meet Dougal
Courie Courie Bakery began in spring 2020, at the height of the first lockdown. Founder and baker Dougal Stonebridge took over a café business in Cambus O’ May, between Aboyne and Ballater, and the lockdown restrictions pushed him to start by making a few cakes and selling them from a table in the café doorway. “I sold them to a guy who paid for them on Paypal as we didn’t have internet or anything” he says. “We made £2.50 the first day we were open, and we were really up against it – it felt very lean and very quiet, definitely not the best time to open a bakery and café”.
What Sets Us Apart
Local means local
We use as many local ingredients as we can, and we value the choice to sell our products locally to the community in Deeside. Keeping bread local is fundamental to how we work.
Community
Local support is the power behind Courie Courie. We make high quality products, using clean and additive free ingredients, supporting our community.
The village bakery
The village bakery is a timeless idea, and we wouldn’t be here if we didn’t love what we do! We love seeing people enjoy the products and the experience of coming to the bakery.