A Shropshire butcher is celebrating after winning a Diamond Award 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 the top products being produced by their members who are among the very best artisan butchers in the country.
Cherrington Farm Shop of Shawbury entered the Smithfield awards for the first time this year, and were awarded Diamond for its Lamb Rogan Josh in the Ready Meal category.
Part of its ‘Heat to Eat’ range of ready meals, it is a medium curry made from Cherrington’s own Zwartble lamb and a delicious blend of spices, tomatoes and onions. Judges were impressed how the meal was presented and noted that the lamb was “beautiful and tender, a really great Rogan Josh.”
Cherrington Farm Shop on Church Street in Shawbury doubled its award tally, also achieving a gold certificate for its Chicken Dhansak Curry.
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 in 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 three butchers were presented with their Diamond 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.”
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