Twelve artisan butchers from across the UK have been crowned top of their class in this year’s Smithfield Awards, announced last this week at Butchers’ Hall in London. Winning butchers hailed from towns across the UK from Inverurie in Aberdeenshire to Southsea on the South Coast.
Organised by the Q Guild of Butchers, the awards, which have been staged for more than 30 years, recognise and reward some of the UK’s finest craft butchery products.
This year’s awards saw more than 200 products put forward by butchers from up and down the UK for evaluation across 15 categories including Artisan Home Cured Bacon, Best Black Pudding, BBQ Product, Best Butcher’s Steak, Traditional Pork Sausage and Best Traditional Pork Pie. New categories for 2023 include Best Energy Efficient Hot Eating Product (reflecting the increasing cost of living across the UK and championing products which require less energy) and the Judges’ Wildcard, which all products were automatically entered for, and while may not be a category winner, were something which caught the judges’ eyes or taste buds.
The judging session, headed up by Keith Fisher, CEO of the Institute of Meat, brought together a selection of respected industry professionals, journalists and foodies at the City of Glasgow College earlier this month. Products were evaluated using a points system, with the best products awarded Bronze, Silver or Gold. Gold winners in each category vied for the coveted Diamond Awards, which were announced at the awards ceremony on 19th April at Butchers’ Hall in London.
New for 2023, the Smithfield Coronation Year Award - a product chosen from all the Diamond Award winners following a cook-off on the day of the awards in London and judged by an esteemed panel of judges - was won by Owen Taylor & Sons. The judging panel for the award included British chef and proprietor of the Soho restaurant Quo Vadis, Jeremy Lee, Sheila Dillon, presenter of Radio 4’s The Food Programme and Telegraph food writer and columnist, Xanthe Clay.
The Q Guild Young Butcher of the Year award was presented to Jordan Shaw of S Collins & Son.
Full list of 2023 Smithfield Awards winners:
- Traditional Pork Sausage - Old Portsmouth Herb Sausage by Buckwells of Southsea
- Innovative Sausage - Thai-style Pork Sausage by Coates Butchers, Coxhoe
- BBQ Product - Chinese 5 Spice Ribs Rack by C Lidgate, Holland Park
- Best Traditional Pork Pie - Centenary Pie, Owen Taylor and Sons
- Best Butcher's Steak (Rib Eye) - Ribeye Steak by Barlows Butchers, Nuncangate
- Delicatessen Product - Rare Roast Beef by Cranstons Butcher and Maker, Penrith
- Artisan Home Cured Bacon - Smoked Back Bacon by Lishman's of Ilkley
- Gluten Free Product - Gluten Free Steak Sausage by Thomas Johnston Butchers, Falkirk
- Best Energy Efficient Hot-Eating Product - Sizzling Spicy Chicken Fajita Kit by Coates Butchers, Coxhoe
- Best Innovative Hot-Eating Pie - Minted Lamb Pie by Robinson's Butchers, Inverurie
- Best Black Pudding - The Bennachie Black Pudding by John Davidson Butchers, Inverurie
- Speciality Game Meat Product - Guinea Fowl Kiev by C Lidgate, Holland Park
- Gourmet Burger - Pork, Stilton & Mango by John Davidson Butchers, Inverururie
- Kitchen Ready Product - Beef Wellington by Barret Brothers, Crewkerne
- Best Steak Pie - Steak and Ale Pie by Owen Taylor and Sons
- Judges' Wild Card - Angus Cheese Burger Sausage by C D Lidgate, Holland Park
- Masterclass in Meat Display - Buckwells of Southsea
- Q Guild Young Butcher of the Year - Jordan Shaw of S Collins & Son
- Smithfield Coronation Award - Owen Taylor and Sons
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.
