Edinburgh Butcher Scoops Scotch Lamb Butcher of the Year Award

Scotch Butchers Club member, Crombies of Edinburgh, lifted the top prize at the Scottish Chefs (Federation) conference dinner held earlier this week in Glasgow.

The competition, run by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) as part of its activities with the butchers in support of its Scotch Lamb campaign, aimed to recognise butchers with skills and a real passion for their jobs, who take pride in selling Scotch Lamb PGI.

Butchers, who stock Scotch Lamb PGI, were invited to enter their best and most innovative Scotch Lamb products into the competition. These products were then judged by representatives from The Scottish Craft Butchers, Edinburgh College, The Federation of Chefs Scotland and Prestonfield House Hotel.

Sandy Crombie, owner of Crombies of Edinburgh, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have won the Scotch Lamb Butcher of the Year award. We spend a lot of time talking to our customers about the quality and taste of Scotch Lamb and we work as a team to continue to innovate, so to have our products judged by chefs and recognised at this high level is just fantastic.”

Two other Scotch Butchers Club members were also recognised for their exceptional products. Forbes Raeburn and Sons based in Huntly, Aberdeenshire, were presented with the Scotch Lamb Consumers Choice award for their Scotch Lamb Stack, and McCaskies Butchers of Wemyss Bay who picked up the Scotch Lamb Innovation of the year for their Scotch Lamb Kiev.

Graeme Sharp, Scotch Butchers Club Manager, congratulated all the butchers and their teams on their award wins.

He said: “The Scotch Lamb Butcher of the Year awards offer an excellent opportunity to celebrate the commitment of our Scotch Butchers Club members and gives them some well-deserved recognition.”

For more information on Scotch Lamb PGI, including recipes, videos and tips, visit www.scotchkitchen.com or follow Scotch Kitchen on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Edinburgh Butcher Scoops Scotch Lamb Butcher of the Year Award

A leading Scottish chef has been crowned Scotch Lamb PGI Surf ‘n’ Turf Chef of the Year in a national competition run jointly by Quality Meat Scotland’s Scotch Beef Club and Seafood Scotland.

Ross Cochrane, head chef of the Rothesay Rooms in Ballater faced stiff competition when he battled it out against five other top chefs in the final cook-off held recently at Fife College.

The competition saw talented chefs design creative dishes which combined two of the top ingredients of Scotland’s outstanding larder – Scotch Lamb PGI and seafood from Scotland. These dishes were then judged by experienced Scottish chefs and representatives from Seafood Scotland and the National Sheep Association.

Chef Cochrane impressed the judging panel by serving up Seared Scotch Lamb PGI served with shallot, roast corn, pannise, Isle of Mull scallops, young veg, lamb cheek and jus.

He was presented with the prestigious title at the annual Scottish Chef’s Conference where Scotch Beef PGI was served along with other Scottish produce in a street-food style banquet.

“I am absolutely delighted to have won the Scotch Lamb, Surf ‘n’ Turf Chef of the Year 2018 award,” said Chef Cochrane.

“The cook-off went well for me and I was very pleased with how my dishes turned out. It was a privilege to compete against all the guys and I am over the moon to come out on top!”

Ciara El-Mansi, PR and Marketing Executive at Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) said: “The calibre of entries has been outstanding and throughout the competition chefs have really shown off their talent and creative flare.

Cattle farmers invited to ‘Meat the Market’ workshop

Cattle farmers are invited to a free meeting in Ayr to help them boost their bottom line by improving their cattle selection and presentation for slaughter.

The meeting, which will be held at AK Stoddarts on Tuesday, November 13 is part of a series of ‘Meat the Market’ events organised by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) being held around Scotland this winter. It will highlight the key factors that need to be considered to ensure that their livestock meet target carcase specifications required by processors.

The event on November 13 will explain the beef market specifications and how carcase spec may differ based on customer requirements. Carcase grading and presentation will also be covered to help farmers maximise their returns and minimise the risk of condemnations and carcase downgrades.

To book your place for the event and for further information about the meetings please contact Heather McCalman on 07766 330 911 or email info@qmscotland.co.uk