Q Guild Smithfield Awards return after two year hiatus
Twelve artisan butchers from across the UK have been crowned top of their class in this year’s Q Guild Smithfield Star Awards, held at Butchers’ Hall in London.
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. There are 13 categories including Traditional Pork Sausage, Best Burgers, Gluten-Free Product, Best Bacon and BBQ Product, which went head-to-head in a bid to be named best in class and secure an award.
New for 2022 was a Platinum Jubilee award, judged from a shortlist of the Diamond Award winners, by Michelin star chef and restaurateur Angela Hartnett OBE. The winner which was crowned the overall ‘best of the best’ was Leamington Spa butcher, Aubrey Allen, for its Traditional Shepherds Pie.
An award was also presented to the Q Guild Young Butcher of the Year – Spencer Allison of Cranstons Quality Butcher & Maker in Penrith.
Gordon Wallace, Q Guild manager, said: “This year’s entries were of a supreme quality. Our Smithfield Star Awards are a fantastic endorsement of a butcher’s craft and product and really do go a long way in helping raise standards across the board and driving product development in our industry.
“After a two year hiatus, it was fantastic to be able to get our members together again to celebrate the very best in UK butchery heritage and skills.”
Winner of the Platinum Jubilee Award, Ian Meek from Aubrey Allen, said: “We’re completely overwhelmed, it’s truly humbling to have won amongst such a strong line-up of butchers.
“We’re incredibly proud of our Shepherds Pie and believe it won because it doesn’t have any bells or whistles, it’s simply traditional British ingredients. It’s one of our best-selling products and we’re incredibly proud of it.”
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