An Aberdeenshire butcher has been crowned the best loved in Scotland as part of a Scottish Craft Butchers (SCB) awards lunch.
Ewan Morrice Quality Butchers, which has shops in Peterhead, Stuartfield and Mintlaw, has won the Scottish Craft Butchers’ ‘Love Your Local Butcher’ Award.
Morrice said: “Customers are the most important part of our business, andto know how highly we are regarded by them gives us all a really warm feeling – it’s brilliant.
“I can hardly believe it – it hasn’t sunk in yet. We’re no different to many other butchers out there, so to win this award is amazing.”
Customers commend “knowledgeable service”
His customers felt that the “outstanding knowledgeable service, friendly welcome and willingness to go the extra mile for their clients” marked them as the “very best” in the business.
Customer Fiona Wallace, who nominated Morrice, said every trip to the shop was an “absolute delight”.
She commented: “Ewan’s dedication, high quality products, creativity, humour, and warm personality make every visit a joy. He is the butcher everyone deserves, but he is MINE! He is truly deserving of this award. For over 10 years, I have enjoyed his tongue-in-cheek banter that brightens even my worst days.
“I have trusted him for not just the highest quality meats, but for his knowledgeable advice and creative suggestions. His award-winning pork sausages are the only ones my girls will eat and his variety of cuts and flavours - such as the lamb with black garlic - is unmatched.
“Whether it’s advising on the best marinade or offering something new for BBQ season, they always deliver.”
Morrice has been in the meat industry since he left school. He took ownership of his first shop in 1996 and gradually built up a business across the area, instilling his own set of values in all his staff - including his family members.
SCB said Morrice had been battling the early onset of Motor Neurone Disease (MND) for the past four years.
Morrice continued: “I always want to see customers treated the way I would want to be treated in a shop. They are our most valued asset and kindness and courtesy and taking the time to chat costs nothing.
“We see more than 1,000 customers a week and if they don’t come in smiling, I can guarantee they will leave smiling.”
Butchers play a “vital role” in customers’ lives
The award, supported by the Scotch Butchers Club, set out to determine how much customers loved their local craft butcher.
SCB executive manager Gordon King said that almost 1,000 nominations extolling the virtues of butchers up and down the country was “testament to the vital role the businesses play in people’s lives and the genuine affection people have for them”.
Gordon King said: “It was tough competition, but Fiona’s nomination stood out and her admiration and affection for all that is good about Ewan Morrice Quality Butchers shone through.
“A butcher is more than just a supplier of food - they create a legacy of relationships with their customers that will last a lifetime.
“I have complete admiration for Ewan Morrice and his team. He battles with MND every day yet still puts his family, colleagues and customers first.”
