The Deeside Smokehouse of Dinnet, Aberdeenshire, has scooped a first place at this year’s Grampian Food Forum innovation awards for its hand cured wild game products.

The Smokehouse’s cold smoked venison, pheasant salami and roast smoked pheasant beat off stiff competition from a range of diverse quality products from all over Aberdeenshire to achieve first place in the food service category for businesses with under 25 employees.

Products were judged by a panel of food experts chaired by Tesco chairman, David Reid; Malmaison hotel general manager, Andy Roger and Skye based cookery writer and entrepreneur, Lady Claire MacDonald.

Owner of The Deeside Smokehouse, Serena Humphrey, was thrilled to achieve the accolade after setting up the business last year: “I am absolutely delighted to receive this recognition in the first food awards that we have ever entered. I am proud of the quality of the local, wild game that I then cure and smoke by hand to produce something that really does stand out in terms of taste. More and more restaurateurs are telling me that their customers are loving our products and that makes the hard work all worthwhile.

“Following our success, I am seeking to process more game this year and take on two more staff by the end of the year.”

The purpose-built smokehouse is producing three varieties of pheasant — hot roasted, a Deeside Glider which is two pheasant breasts stuffed with haggis and then smoked and a salami. The venison range includes the winning cold smoked, dry cured ‘parma ham’ style plus a hot roasted product, venison chorizo and a spicy salami. Also produced is a beef bresaola, an air-dried salted beef that originates from Italy and which is hung for two to three months. All meats are smoked using traditional methods over whisky soaked oak shavings from the Speyside Cooperage.

Serena has also established two other businesses promoting local produce – Deeside Hampers, gift and corporate hampers containing a range of foods all produced in Deeside and Deeside Veg, a box scheme for domestic and business customers providing seasonal vegetables from Dinnet Estate.

www.thedeesidesmokehouse.com