Leamington butcher wins top national award for its shepherd's pie

A Leamington butcher has shepherded in a national food award for serving up a traditional dish which received a perfect score from the judges.

Aubrey Allen’s shepherd’s pie scored top marks – 70 out of 70 – to win a Platinum Jubilee Award at the Q Guild of Butchers’ Smithfield Star Awards recently.

The dish went head to head with all other category winners and was selected as the overall Platinum Jubilee winner by Michelin star chef and restaurateur Angela Hartnett OBE.

The Aubrey Allen team were presented with their award at a gala lunch at Butchers’ Hall in London last week.

The Warwick Street-based and family-run butchers also made the finals and received three-star status – the highest possible rating from the Guild - for three more of its products - Moroccan lamb truffles, Aubrey’s authentic beef lasagne and its Cumberland pork burgers.

The Smithfield Star awards have run for more than 30 years and 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.

In what is widely recognised as the meat trade’s most high profile and challenging product evaluation, products are evaluated using a 1, 2 and 3 star rating system by a panel of independent industry judges, with all 3 star products in each category then pitched against each for the category champion Diamond Award.

Ian Meek from Aubrey Allen said: “We’re completely overwhelmed, it’s truly humbling to have won amongst such a strong line-up of butchers.

"We’re incredibly proud of our shepherd’s pie and believe it won because it doesn’t have any bells or whistles, it’s simply traditional British ingredients, made in-house with Aubrey Allen products by our skilled team.

"We’d serve up the same shepherd’s pie to our family as we would to a leading dignitary, it works just as it is for everyone.

"It’s one of our best-selling products and we’re incredibly proud of it.”