Scottish Butchers are Cream of the Crop at Prestigious Awards

A trio of Scottish butchers showed they were a cut above the rest at the UK’s premier butchery event in London.

Forbes Raeburn and Son, a family-run butcher’s shop based in Huntly which prides itself on supplying the finest quality meat, scooped the Scottish Butcher’s Shop of the Year 2013 award, sponsored by the Scotch Butchers Club run by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS).

Andrew Peter from Davidsons Specialist Butchers in Inverurie took home the Young Butcher of the Year award and Wemyss Bay-based Mearns T. McCaskie won the Butcher’s Plus award which recognises butchers who have diversified into other retail areas.

All the winners are members of the Scotch Butchers Club which has around 300 members who source their Scotch Beef, Scotch Lamb and Specially Selected Pork from approved suppliers.

Jack Broussine, Marketing Executive at Quality Meat Scotland, who presented the Scottish Butcher’s Shop of the Year award, said: “Each of the winners are quality, independent butchers at the top of their trade and it’s fantastic they have been recognised for their total dedication to their craft.

“They are all excellent ambassadors for our home-grown produce and their commitment to producing top quality products points to a bright future for the industry.”

Charles Raeburn, whose Huntly business employs six staff and is well-known for its commitment to customer service and quality, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have won the Scottish Butcher’s Shop of the Year 2013 award and I’d like to thank our staff for their hard work and, of course, our loyal customers.”

The shop, which was opened in 1963 by the late Forbes Raeburn, is now run by his son, Charles, and grandson, Gary, who is a former UK Young Butcher of the Year and three times winner of the Scottish Young Butcher award.

Gary, who is also a well-known livestock judge and cattle exhibitor, rears his own cattle and sells the beef in the recently refurbished shop.

Other finalists included Perth-based Simon Howie Butchers and last year’s winner Stewart Collins and Son who is based in Glasgow.

Andrew Peter, who is no stranger to winning awards after earning the Scottish Young Butcher title for his age group in May, said he was “over the moon” to win the award for UK Young Butcher of the Year.

“I was up against some really strong competition, so to win this award is just fantastic,” said Andrew.

Winners of the Butcher’s Plus award, Mearns T. McCaskie, who are well-known as a quality butcher that supply the very best in Scotch Beef, Scotch Lamb and Specially Selected Pork, extended their shop to create the Seaview Café next door. Judges said they had turned the café, which has an outdoor decked eating area that overlooks the sea at Wemyss Bay, into a “thriving business”.

Husband and wife team Nigel and Helen Ovens said they were delighted to win the award.

“We’re just a small family business that aims to be the best,” said Nigel.

“We source all of our Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb from Quanterness farm in Orkney owned by William Harcus and his father, Scott. This ensures we’re selling the best quality meat to our customers.

“We’ve also invested heavily to turn our business into something special,” added Nigel. "We have a great team of chefs and staff in the café that are working hard to put us on the map.”

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Caption (L-R):Jack Broussine, QMS Marketing Executive with Scottish Butcher’s Shop of the Year 2013 award winners Gary Raeburn and Charles Raeburn plus Ellie Taylor pictured at the awards in London last week.