Scotch Lamb Innovation Award Finalists Announced

The innovation and skills of Scottish butchers shines through among the finalists of a new Scotch Lamb PGI initiative announced by Quality Meat Scotland today (9 February 2016).   Twenty-six butchers from across Scotland scooped a gold or silver award for new Scotch Lamb products which ranged from a Moroccan Lamb Burger to Lamb and Chilli Halloumi Kebabs, to Stuffed Lamb Noisettes and a Hot and Spicy Lamb Burger.   The awards, which were launched as part of Quality Meat Scotland’s 2015 Wham Bam Thank You Lamb campaign, aim to showcase quality, innovative Scotch Lamb products and burgers which have been created by Scotch Butchers Club members to meet changing consumer demand.    Butchers who are members of the Scotch Butchers Club, retail Scotch Beef, Scotch Lamb and Specially Selected Pork from suppliers who adhere to the quality standards required by Quality Meat Scotland’s Quality Assurance Scheme.   All the burgers and products were subject to a rigorous two-stage judging process, by a panel consisting of members of the Scottish red meat industry and the public, and were reviewed on taste and how simple they were to cook quickly by busy young professionals with children – a key target market for QMS’s Scotch Lamb marketing activities.    Peebles-based butchers Callum and Louise Forsyth of Forsyths Butchers and Bakers said they were absolutely delighted to have won two gold awards and a silver award.   “Burgers and innovative products are becoming an increasingly important part of our business and are proving extremely popular with our customers,” said Mr Forsyth. “We provide a traditional, quality service but always try to develop on new opportunities in order to offer our customers something a bit different.    Mrs Forsyth added: “I’m a big fan of Scotch Lamb, and it sells well in the shop, so I thought I’d enter the Lamb Tagine which is part of our new range – I’m delighted it’s won a gold award!”   Graeme Sharp, QMS Marketing Executive said that the awards really showcase the fantastic innovation which exists in the Scottish butchers sector.   “The standard of entries we received was exceptionally high and you could see that each butcher had a tremendous amount of pride for their burgers and products.   “I want to encourage customers to buy Scotch Lamb from their butcher and taste the quality of their products for themselves.”