A West Yorkshire based butchers shop are celebrating after being crowned the Best in Britain.
Lishman’s Butchers in Ilkley was first announced as the winner of the North of England Butcher’s Shop of the Year – the third time they have won the regional title – before learning that they had also clinched the overall UK Best Butchers Shop accolade in one of the meat industry’s top awards, run by industry magazine, Meat Trades Journal.
The multi award-winning shop which is run by David Lishman and his daughter Emma received the double honour at a presentation ceremony staged at County Hall in London.
David said: “This is the undoubted highlight and the pinnacle of our numerous achievements in the meat trades awards arena over many years. UK Butchers Shop of the Year is the one we all want to win and we were up against some of the best butchers in the land. To be chosen as the best of the best is a glowing tribute.
“This year alone, we have invested close on £250,000 in new in-house smoking, charcuterie and bakery facilities and are constantly trying to improve and develop the business. This superb success is an all-round team effort and we’re absolutely over the moon.”
Over the last 23 years, Butchers Shop of the Year has built a solid reputation for recognising and celebrating excellence, innovation and quality in the UK’s butchery industry.
Meat Trades Journal deputy editor Aidan Fortune said the judging for this year’s awards was tough, with all entries displaying a high level of quality.
“This has been one of the toughest years of judging Butcher’s Shop of the Year. Every single entry had a top quality business and made a strong case for winning their category,” he said.
“Lishman’s displayed extremely high standards across the board and their passion, enthusiasm and industry knowledge set them apart from the competition. It also shows that just because a business has been in operation for over 30 years, it doesn’t mean that they can’t try something new and make investments.”
The award is the second major accolade secured by Lishman’s Butchers within a matter of days having also been awarded the Best Yorkshire Pork Pie trophy at the Delicouslyorkshire Taste Awards.