A RENOWNED south Cumbrian butchers and pie makers picked up a hat-trick of golds at a major industry ceremony.

Higginsons of Grange flew the flag for Cumbria at the Butchers Q Guild Smithfield Awards, a high profile event regarded as one of the toughest product evaluation tests in the land.

Higginsons picked up a gold awards hat-trick for their Traditional Cumberland Coil Speciality Sausage, Beef Weekday Wellingtons and their Family Lasagne Ready Meal.

Although no stranger to awards ceremonies, co-owner Stuart Higginson said: “The Smithfield Awards attract the best of the best every year and there is always a very high standard of entries from all around Great Britain.

"We were really pleased to pick up three gold awards, in particular for our trademark Traditional Cumberland Sausage, which we are very proud of.”

Higginsons Traditional Cumberland Sausage is made to a long-standing family recipe containing premium pork sausage meat and a blend of herbs and spices.

This product is loved so much that it featured in a recent Trip Advisor blog which named Higginsons Butchers as one of the best places in the UK to sample Cumberland Sausage.

Higginsons Family Butchers was established as small high street butchers shop in 1983. Since then, the business has expanded to include a speciality delicatessen, a take-out serving home-made meals, a thriving online shop and a bespoke ‘Celebration Pies’ service.

Last year, owners Stuart and Pauline Higginson were announced as winners of the reader-nominated 'Special Award for Lifetime Achievement’ at the annual Cumbria Life Food & Drink Awards.

The couple explained: “We have always had a passion for what we do and our simple ethos remains the same – to bring the highest quality food to our customers with care and commitment.

“We like to work alongside the farmers and suppliers on our doorstep to champion the wonderful local produce that we have in this area. We also like to offer customers something a bit different, whether it be Lakeland Herdwick Lamb, Cumbria Heritage Beef or Morecambe Bay Saltmarsh Lamb.”

Cranstons Quality Butchers, based in Penrith, also returned home with a gold awards hat-trick with its Dry Cured Streaky Bacon, Pork Pie, and Chicken Kievs Kitchen Ready Product.

Tom Parker Bowles, food critic, told the butchers: "A town or city without a proper butcher is town without a heart. But all of you here today are masters of meat, heroes of the haunch, legends of the lamb chop and you don't do this for the prospect of a quick and easy buck."