A Weymss Bay butcher has lifted a top industry award for Scotland’s best ready meal.

 

The ox cheek-based ready meal has secured Weymss Bay butcher Mearns T McCaskie the top accolade in the Scottish Craft Butchers Awards - a diamond award.

 

The awards, presented at the recent Scottish Meat Trade Fair 2017 in Perth, recognised and rewarded the best barbecue products, ready meals and ready-to-cook products currently available in Scotland’s butcher’s shops.

 

The Greenock Road butchers scooped the country’s top award for their Braised Ox Cheek in Creamy Mash – marking it out as this year’s Best Ready Meal Product in Scotland.

 

And the butcher narrowly missed out on retaining the Scottish Haggis Championship but held on to the regional title for the West of Scotland.

 

Mearns T McCaskie also lifted four Gold Awards for their Honey and Mustard Pork Magnums, Honey and Mustard Smoked Loin, Chicken Lasagne and Swedish Meatballs in Tomato Sauce.

 

They completed their wealth of glittering successes with three Silver Awards for their Hot and Smokey Sausage Dogs, Chicken Revels and Peppered Beef Kievs.

 

Collecting the awards, owner Nigel Ovens said he was “over the moon” with their success.

 

“To be voted the best ready meal in Scotland is quite an achievement,” he said. “These awards show the customers we are not just standing still and are keen to develop and perfect new products and to always try something different.

 

“We have recently invested in a new production unit so we will be able to keep up with demand that these awards will hopefully bring.”

 

Douglas Scott, Chief Executive of Scottish Craft Butchers, said the industry focus on barbecue and ready prepared products reflected consumer demand and praised the high standard of entry in this year’s awards.

 

“It is important for us to encourage our local butchers to produce quality new and innovative offerings to interest customers during summer barbecue season and those who find time they have limited time to prepare meals.

 

“These awards show customers just what a high standard their local butcher sets.”

 

The awards, sponsored by Lucas Ingredients, Dalziel Ltd. And Scobies Direct, attracted around 230 entries from over 40 butchers from Shetland to the Solway in a keenly contested assessment process.