Gloagburn Farm Shop in Perthshire is the inaugural winner of the Scotch Butchers Club Challenge.
The contest, run by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and judged by a panel of international butchers, aimed to showcase the craftsmanship and innovation of butchers who are members of the Scotch Butchers Club.
The club is a network of independent butchers across Great Britain who are approved stockists of Scotch Beef, Scotch Lamb and Specially Selected Pork.
A group of 14 finalists was drawn up from across Scotland and judges assessed a counter display they had produced of Scotch Beef, Scotch Lamb and Specially Selected Pork.
Judge Jon Brown, from Grogan and Browns in Ireland, said: “The quality of the finalists for a first-time competition like this was impressive and I’m sure I speak on behalf of all the judges involved when I say that the calibre of the counter display entries were extremely high.
“What distinguishes Gloagburn Farm Shop’s entry, which was created by Wendy Donald and Colin Brown, from the rest is the range of product innovation and uniformity combined with presentation and labelling clearly showed the skill levels required to complete a display of this standard.”
Gloagburn Farm Shop owner, Fergus Niven, said: “We’re delighted to be inaugural winners of the Scotch Butchers Club Challenge and the trophy will be proudly displayed in our shop.
“We look forward to entering again next year to defend our title and I would encourage any Scotch Butchers Club member to get involved.”
QMS brand development manager Gordon Newlands, who visited Gloagburn to present the team with their championship trophy and £500 prize, said: “It’s been a fantastic experience to create a butchery competition which challenges businesses as a whole, and shines a light on their important place in our community.
“New initiatives like this are part of the new Scotch Butchers Club strategy to position butchers as ‘Champions of Scotch’ promoting their skill, craftsmanship and knowledge to consumers.”
Second place in the contest went to Gillespies Family Butchers in Lanark, while third place went to S. Collins in Glasgow.
Hunt begins to find most innovative butchers shop in Scotland