South Wales butchers raise their standards at awards ceremony

Butchers across South Wales have been showing off their talents at a competition which aims to help improve their business.

The South Wales Awards for Innovation and Excellence in Meat Products were held at the Towers Hotel in Swansea on the 25^th March and saw butchers from across the Southern counties enter a range of products.

The event, organised by Hybu Cig Cymru - Meat Promotion Wales (HCC), gives butchers the opportunity to have their products professionally evaluated and awarded either a gold, silver or bronze award.

Hundreds of products were entered into the twelve categories, which included traditional pork sausage, speciality hot pie and ready meals, and Judges said the standard of entries at this year's awards had improved.

Products entered in this year's competition included the Guinness and Black treacle gammon, beef chilli burger and a lamb, honey and rosemary sausage.

Judges chose one winner for each of the twelve categories and then picked supreme sausage and pie champions.

The Preseli Gold Sausage Company from Fishguard picked up the coveted Supreme Sausage Award for the second year running for their traditional pork sausage, while H J Edwards and Sons from Abergavenny walked away with the Supreme Pie trophy.

Graham Titchener, HCC's Marketing Executive, said "The standard of entries has improved again this year. Butchers across South Wales are making some excellent products.

"The aim of these awards is to show butchers what they are doing right and what they are doing wrong so they can improve the products they offer to their customers."

He added "The awards we have presented to butchers can be used to get more people into their business by reassuring the customer that the product they are buying is of the highest quality."

The twelve category winners can now be entered into the HCC organised Wales Champion title to be held later this year, where they will take on the winners from the North Wales Awards which will be held in Llandudno in April.