All roads lead to the Hilton Birmingham Metropole on Thursday evening 3rd September when the winner of Britain’s Best Butcher’s Shop will be revealed as part of the annual Meat Industry Awards ceremony and dinner.
The annual awards are a hugely popular event when products, people and companies are recognised, along with training initiatives and trade bodies.
Tickets and tables are still available and the evening will be hosted jointly by Graham Yandell MBE, the publisher of Meat Management magazine and Paul Sinha, a well-known Chaser from ITV’s The Chase quiz programme and Beat The Chasers.
Click for ticket and table details
The four finalists:
The Snobby Butcher
Nottingham
The shop was visited mid-morning and our judge was warmly greeted by Johnny and his staff who were just about to have brunch, to which our judge was invited while they eagerly told him all about the business. The first thing that was noticed on arrival was a true life vintage delivery van parked outside the shop. Five people stopped to take pictures/selfies with it while we took one of the shop!
The van is used for outside events that the business is involved with such as BBQ’s and local food festivals. On entering the shop there is a very pleasant smoked aroma which reflects the wide range of charcuterie products that are produced on the premises. These products are a reflection of Johnny’s Hungarian roots and consist of high quality bacon, gammon and various salamis.
A D Ringrose Butchers
Broughton Astley, Leicestershire
Ringrose Butchers is situated in the village of Broughton Astley, which has a population of approximately 7,000, and you immediately feel the warmth of the staff and location. Our judge was enthusiastically greeted by Andy Ringrose, his wife Sarah, son Matt and nephew Connor, all of whom were extremely busy on our arrival, but nevertheless found the time to talk about the business with a great deal of passion.
Clearly they all make a major contribution to the business and you can sense how important the local community is to them. The shop was really busy during our time there and Andy explained that on a Saturday, with four of them behind the counter, they serve an average of a customer a minute for several hours.
G Shearer & Son
Holbeach, Spalding
Arriving mid-morning, we received a very pleasant welcome from Mark Shearer, the owner, Alice Taylor, managing director, Ben Tindale, managing butcher and Sarah Tindale (Ben’s mum), the pastry chef. The shop was completely refitted in 2025 and has a warm, welcoming appearance both inside and out.
It is situated out in the country and during our visit, there was a continuous stream of loyal customers pulling up outside in the spacious car park. The shop sells a complete range of cuts and value-added products, as well as fruit and vegetables. All pies and sausage rolls are freshly made and are a big part of the overall sales.
Powters Butchery & Deli
Newmarket
On arrival our head judge met the shop manager Darren Halfpenny (Tristan Powter was attending a meeting) who was very busy, but took a few minutes out of his schedule to tell us about the business.
Powters online butchers and deli, home to the famous Newmarket sausage, is a traditional family run butchery with over 100 years of heritage. As farmers and artisan butchers, they combine knowledge and mastery to source the best beef, chicken, pork and lamb.
Chosen for their high animal welfare status and sustainable farming methods, the business works with a network of trusted independent UK farmers who share Powters’ passion and ethos for producing meat that is packed with flavour and the very best quality. All meat is butchered at the Newmarket store and can be delivered fresh to the customer’s door.
For more information about the 2026 Meat Management Meat Industry Awards, visit www.meatmanagement.com/awards.
To book tickets to the awards ceremony, click here.
With thanks to the official 2026 awards partners:
