Dumfries butcher Stuart Houston recently scooped the Scottish Haggis Champion title at the biennial Scottish Haggis Championship 2017.
The competition was held at the Scottish Meat Trade Fair in Perth and saw the likes of around 80 butchers from all across Scotland compete for the coveted award.
Houston’s haggis had been declared south west Scotland regional champion before entering the national contest, where it was judged by a tasting panel of experts.
Head judge Gordon Wallace said the judging process had been robust and intense, commenting about the winning product: “It had lovely flavour, great texture and the right balance of ingredients and seasoning throughout. It also had a natural casing, which added to its appeal.”
Houston revealed that the handmade haggis owed its origins to a family recipe handed down by his grandfather Bert ‘Kiddie’ Houston, who set up the family firm J B Houston on the outskirts of Dumfries nearly 70 years ago.
Although he admitted that the original recipe had undergone “tiny tweaks”, he said that today’s product stays true to the original and remains secret.
He noted: “Scottish Haggis Champion is the title every butcher chases.”
Presenting the trophy to Houston, Louise Harley from Grampian Oat Products, which sponsored the competition, said: “We know just how coveted the Scottish Haggis Champion title and trophy are, and we hope it will help them to attract new customers from far and wide who are keen to try Scotland’s best haggis.”
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
