Two North West butchers are celebrating their award wins today; received at one of the UK’s most prestigious competitions for craft butchery products – The Smithfield Awards. The event, held annually by the Q Guild of Butchers recognises and rewards products created by their members who are among the very best artisan butchers in the country.
Dales Traditional Butchers of Kirkby Lonsdale were awarded the title of Best English Lamb Product for their Rosemary and Garlic Lamb Rump: an oven ready marinated English lamb rump. Dales initially introduced the product for the BBQ but its ease of cooking has made it one of the butcher’s best-selling products. The judges chose it for its flavour, and the originality of a one portion meal using lamb rump.
Dales Traditional Butchers added to their award tally with an additional nine gold certificates for their Dry Cured Back Bacon, Traditional Pork Pie, Steak & Stilton Pie, Traditional Pork Sausage, Honey & Mustard Sausage, Cumbrian Roasted Silverside, Chicken Jambalaya, Spicy Beef & Vegetable Stir Fry and Pork & Chilli Jam Pie. All of Dales award winning products are available to buy online, as well as instore at 2 Market Street, Kirkby Lonsdale.
The Q Guild butchers who come from across Britain were recognised in 18 categories, which ranged from Best Traditional Pork Sausage, Best Bacon and Cured Product, Pies & Bakery to Innovation, Best Game product and Best Beef and Lamb products from England, Scotland and Wales.
The awards were judged blind by an independent panel of international food and meat industry experts at City of Glasgow College’s state of the art facilities in October 2018. The two butchers were presented with their awards by chef and broadcaster Matt Tebbutt at a sumptuous luncheon ceremony in London on 30th January.
Claire Holland, Manager of the Q Guild of Butchers said: “This year’s Smithfield Awards winners are truly an example of exceptional quality. These butchers are preserving and promoting the very best in butchery heritage, skills, customer service and above all, delicious meat.”
