A FAMILY-RUN butchers with multiple food halls and shops across Cumbria clinched a Diamond accolade in the Q Guild of Butchers 2020 Smithfield 'Star' Awards.

Cranstons Butcher + Maker, which has a branch on Hexham's Cattle Market, achieved a Diamond in the Naked Steak category with its 21-day Dry Aged Sirloin Steak.

Cranstons describe the steak as "tender and succulent Cumbrian beef, expertly hung for 21 days on a specialist temperature controlled maturation chiller to maximise natural flavours."

And judges deemed it a "well butchered and presented steak, succulent, tender with great flavour."

Managing director Phillip Cranston said: "Naturally, we're over the moon to pick up a category-leading Diamond award in the face of such strong competition for our fellow butchers nationwide. I dedicate this success to our entire team."

The revamped Smithfield 'Star' Awards had a new rating system this year, through which 3***, 2** or 1* certificates were awarded to products achieving a set standard.

Diamond awards were then achieved by pitching all of the 3*** products against one other to determine the ‘Category Champion’.

Cranstons achieved a total of six product awards, including Fresh from the Deli, Innovative Sausage, Kitchen Ready, Traditional Pork Sausage and Traditional Pork Pie.

Over 220 individual products were entered from 29 Q Guild butchers across the country and were judged blind by an independent panel of food and meat sector experts, headed by Institute of Meat chief executive Keith Fisher.

Butchers Q Guild General Manager Claire Holland said: “These awards are a great way of showcasing our members and their achievements. They work really hard to develop outstanding products and to keep up with trends."