British craft butchery products have been recognised as best in class at this year’s Smithfield Awards.
Butchers from across the UK gathered in London’s Butcher’s Hall to celebrate the Q Guild’s Smithfield Awards 2025, which recognise and reward the UK’s finest craft butchery products.
Prizes were awarded in 11 product categories in addition to a Masterclass in Meat Display, Q Guild Young Butcher of the Year, and the Smithfield Platinum Award.
Full list of Diamond Award winners
Traditional Pork Sausage – Gloucester Old Spot Sausage; C. Lidgate, London
Innovative Sausage – Lamb Merguez; K&J Green Butchers, Chorley
Ready Meal – Lamb Keema Wellington; Mills Butchers, Solihull
Burger – Mega Burger; Fraser’s Butchers Ltd, Bolton
Hot Eating Pie – Steak Pie; Barlows Butchers, Newthorpe
Black Pudding – Black Pudding Hugh Black & Sons Ltd, Cowdenbeath
BBQ Product – Minted Lamb & Halloumi Kebab; Fraser’s Butchers, Bolton
Home Cured Bacon – Molasses Cured Blythburgh Free-Range Bacon; Aubrey Allen, Leamington Spa
Al Fresco Dining – Cumberland & Caramelised Onion Sausage Roll Garland; Cranstons, Penrith
Speciality Game Meat Product – Rabbit Paupiette with Wild Mushroom; C Lidgate, London
Best Butcher’s Steak – Ribeye Steak; John Davidsons, Inverurie
Masterclass in Meat Display (sponsored by DB Foods) – Lishman’s of Ilkley, Ilkley
Overall Winner Smithfield Platinum Award – Ribeye Steak; John Davidsons, Inverurie
The Smithfield Platinum Award was judged by Professor John Gilliland OBE DSc, Institute of Meat CEO Keith Fisher, and honorary Q Guild member John Buckwell from a shortlist of the Diamond Award-winning products. The winner across all categories was crowned overall ‘best of the best’ and received the Smithfield Platinum Award.
John Davidson of John Davidsons, commented on winning the Platinum Award: “It’s always an honour to get an award like this and especially among fellow butchers, who are all producing amazing steaks. It’s testament to our team, who always strive for 100%. Winning the award for the best steak and then for our Ribeye Steak to be crowned the best product across all categories is of huge importance to us. I firmly believe that customers base how good you are as a butcher on the quality of your steak and if your steaks are good then the rest of the business will follow.”
Young Butcher Award
Q Guild Young Butcher of the Year – George Allen of Aubrey Allen, Leamington Spa
Gordon Wallace, Q Guild Manager said: “The Smithfield Awards are designed to celebrate excellence in UK craft butchery, driving higher standards and inspiring innovation across the industry. As the meat trade’s most rigorous product evaluation, achieving a Gold award is a remarkable achievement and a real testament to the quality of the products crafted by UK butchers.
“We would also like to extend our congratulations to George Allen, recipient of the Q Guild Young Butcher Award – arguably our most significant accolade. This award highlights the skill, passion, and fresh thinking of young butchers, reinforcing confidence that the future of our craft is in capable hands.”
On receiving his accolade, George Allen responded: “I never thought I would win this award, so it has shown me just how far I’ve come and what I’m truly capable of! My favourite part of the job is the camaraderie – that’s what matters most.”
Celebration lunch and awards ceremony
Proceedings at the awards luncheon began with a presentation from renowned expert on sustainable agriculture Professor John Gilliland OBE, DSc, who gave a talk about his project Accelerating Ruminant Carbon Zero (ARCZero), which has seen his willow and livestock farm in Northern Ireland achieve “beyond net zero” status. Guests were invited to join a Q&A with Professor Gilliland, who is an adviser to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and Quality Meat Scotland (QMS), before he presented the awards to the winning butchers.
Products submitted for this year’s awards were assessed by a panel of 20 industry professionals, journalists, and foodies at the City of Glasgow College in November. The best products were awarded Bronze, Silver or Gold status, with gold products in each category then pitched against one another for the category champion Diamond Awards.
