Staff at a Newton Stewart family butcher are celebrating after lifting a top industry accolade.
John D Owen & Son secured the Scottish Craft Butchers (SCB) ultimate Diamond award for a “Make It With Haggis” product.
Their shop-made haggis nest wowed adjudicators who rated the tasty dish with a rare 70 out of 70 score.
Staff member Lee Ross was delighted the lip-smacking invention had impressed the judges.
He told the News: “It’s very much a team effort making the haggis and the burgers for the finished product.
“And it was quite cool to win the award for making something a wee bit different.
“It was a great experience – the customers love them and we have folk coming back in for them all the time.
“They are a great seller and I reckon that after winning the Diamond award we’ll be selling even more.”
Owner Kenny Owen learned the news of the product’s nation-beating success while en route to holiday in Italy.
He said: “This product has sold well since we first introduced it around a year ago.
“But I guess it’s going to sell even better now that it’s a champion.
“I’m absolutely gobsmacked to know we achieved the perfect score.
“It’s a surprise and a thrill to win the top Diamond award for the haggis nest.
“But to take maximum points is just amazing. We’re absolutely delighted.”
Kenny, the third generation Owen to run the popular family butcher business, is backed by a team of eight.
He added: “We make our own traditional family recipe haggis and use it in a variety of products ranging from chicken and haggis pies to sausages.
“The nest features a 4oz deluxe burger shaped into a cup, brushed with a plain marinade and filled with a mixture of haggis, streaky bacon, red onion and creamy pepper sauce.
“It really is tasty and meets increasing modern demands for oven-ready products by being sold in a foil tray ready for cooking.”
The haggis nest was up against another 144 products in the Scotweigh-sponsored Make It With Haggis evaluations with results announced at the Scottish Craft Butchers biennial Trade Fair in Perth.
Praising Kenny and his team’s “perfect product”, SCB executive manager Gordon King said: “To achieve the perfect score with our panel of independent judges is just remarkable.
“It didn’t drop a single point when up against a strong field of some amazingly good rivals.”
“There are so many innovative and delicious ways our local independent butchers can adapt it into versatile and popular dishes.”
