Cumbrian butcher, Cranstons, has scooped a prestigious national award for its Rare Roast Beef at this year’s Smithfield Awards, announced at Butchers’ Hall in London last week.

One of twelve artisan butchers from across the UK to be crowned top of their class, the Cumbrian butcher which has food halls and shops across the county, won the Diamond category champion award in the “From the Deli’ category for its Rare Roast Beef, in what is widely recognised as the meat trade’s most high profile and challenging product evaluation.

Organised by the Q Guild of Butchers, the awards which have run for more than 30 years, recognise and reward the UK’s finest craft butchery products including Traditional Pork Sausage, Best Burgers, Gluten-Free Product, Best Bacon, BBQ Product and Black Pudding.

Products are awarded a Bronze, Silver or Gold award by a panel of independent industry judges, with all Gold products in each category then pitched against each for the category champion Diamond Award.

Scoring a remarkable 68 points out of a possible 70, Cranstons’ Rare Roast Beef is made using 21 day dry-aged topside from their local farm supplier, then expertly cooked ensuring it is medium rare so the meat is beautifully tender and succulent. The coveted Diamond Award was presented to Cranstons by the highly regarded British Chef Jeremy Lee. The Cumbrian butcher also made the final shortlist in five other categories –  Traditional Pork Link Sausage, Best BBQ Product, for their Greek Beef Kebab,  Best Steak Pie, Best Butcher’s Rib Eye Steak and Speciality Game Meat Product for their Venison Parcel – with all five products receiving Gold award status – the highest possible rating from the Guild.

Jane Silburn of Cranstons said: ““This product is so good thanks to the combined effort of our farmers, our production butchery team, our kitchen and high risk teams- not forgetting the shop deli teams who expertly carve it for the counters. It’s great to see everyone’s hard work recognised with this award’’

‘’Our rare roast beef is beautifully pink and tender – it is cooked ‘sous vide’ style at a low temperature for 14 hours to ensure it remains moist and to maximise the beef’s natural flavour. It’s then expertly hand-carved. It’s a far cry from the bone-dry roast beef slices you’ll find in the supermarket and well loved by our customers.’’