The owner of an Ayr business has admitted he is “absolutely buzzing” to be named the best takeaway in the country.

Tempura operates restaurants and takeaways in Troon, Ayr, Prestwick and Kilmarnock, with a future project for Irvine in the works.

It triumphed in the Best Takeaway category of the Scottish Entertainment and Hospitality Awards in Glasgow earlier this month.

Mark Blake, who co-owns Tempura with business partner Brandon Van Rensburg, admits the pair couldn’t quite believe the accolade at first.

He said: “We opened back in 2020 and have gone from strength to strength since then, with a host of new locations opening.

“We are absolutely buzzing to win this award, I don’t think it sank in for the first day or two.

“The scale of it is insane. It’s not just Ayrshire or the west coast, it’s the whole of Scotland.”

Mark believes that the simplicity and slickness of their takeaway operation played a part in their award win.

He explained: “We have been able to open a number of takeaways in the last few years because the model is always the same and we have the system down to a tee.

“It’s a reasonably small and simple menu, but it still has variety and with our weekly specials there’s something for everyone.

“The whole process from ordering to cooking to collection is slick and efficient, it’s just really filthy food done well.”

Mark says the business is preparing for a busy summer, with big events including The Open coming to the region.

He added: “I speak to people from outwith Ayrshire and a lot of them have no idea what tempura is. It’s such an Ayrshire thing, but so delicious and simple so everyone loves it.

“It’s going to be a busy summer, with the golf coming to Troon, that’s going to be a mega week for us.”