The finalist farms – from the Borders and Perthshire – were selected from a very strong line-up of nominations this year. Whilst the businesses themselves are quite different, both are run by producers dedicated to producing first-class, quality-assured sheep and lambs.

The finalist farms are Bowhill Farming in Selkirk managed by Sion Williams and Incheoch in Alyth run by Neil and Debbie McGowan.

Both farm businesses share a commitment to constantly looking for ways to improve productivity and efficiency.

What the award means

The aim of the AgriScot Scottish Sheep Farm of the Year Award is to showcase excellence in sheep production in Scotland and to raise the profile of the dedication of the Scottish sheep farmers who produce Scotch Lamb PGI.

The recipient will receive a £500 cheque as well as a £250 voucher to celebrate their success at a Scotch Beef Club restaurant. The club, run by QMS, has around 150 members committed to serving top quality Scotch Beef PGI. The award recipient will be revealed at AgriSCot on Wednesday 21 November, where the announcement will be made at noon in the main ring.

The assessors for the award this year are Hamish Dykes, AgriScot board member, Dr Heather McCalman, knowledge transfer specialist at QMS and Charley Walker, recipient of the AgriScot Scottish Sheep Farm of the Year 2017 award.

Hamish Dykes said that both businesses were incredibly impressive and that the assessment process this year will prove very challenging as a result.

“It is important that AgriScot showcases the best in Scottish sheep farming. We had a large number of nominations this year but the two finalists which have been selected – Bowhill and Incheoch – really shone among the nominees,” said Mr Dykes.

Dr Heather McCalman added that the assessors were looking forward to visiting both farms this week, where they will look for evidence of a high standard of technical and financial performance, uptake of new ideas to improve efficiency and profitability, a high level of health and welfare and a keen eye on the market for the end product.

The assessors will also look to gauge the passion and enthusiasm of the farmer, and any family and staff who may also work on the farm, to efficiently produce high quality animals.

Kenneth Mackay, partner in the Land and Rural Business team Thorntons Solicitors said: “We are proud to be sponsors of both the Scottish Sheep Farm of the Year and Scotch Beef Farm of the Year awards. AgriScot are keen to recognise all elements of the agricultural sector and we are delighted to be able to help them achieve that goal.”

All farms producing lambs destined to be used for meat sold under the Scotch Lamb label were eligible to apply for the award and accordingly they were also required to be members of QMS’s farm assurance scheme.

Edinburgh butcher scoops top award

A top Scottish butcher who is renowned for exceptional quality and outstanding customer service has won the “Scotch Lamb Butcher of the Year” award.

Scotch Butchers Club member, Crombies of Edinburgh, lifted the top prize at the Scottish Chefs (Federation) conference dinner held this week in Glasgow.

The competition, run by QMS as part of its activities with the butchers in support of its Scotch Lamb campaign, aimed to recognise butchers with skills and a real passion for their jobs, who take pride in selling Scotch Lamb PGI.

Butchers, who stock Scotch Lamb PGI, were invited to enter their best and most innovative Scotch Lamb products into the competition. These products were then judged by representatives from The Scottish Craft Butchers, Edinburgh College, The Federation of Chefs Scotland and Prestonfield House Hotel.

Celebrating Scotch Lamb

Sandy Crombie, owner of Crombies of Edinburgh, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have won the Scotch Lamb Butcher of the Year award.

“We spend a lot of time talking to our customers about the quality and taste of Scotch Lamb and we work as a team to continue to innovate, so to have our products judged by chefs and recognised at this high level is just fantastic.”

As well as the Scotch Lamb Butcher of the Year Award, two other Scotch Butchers Club members were also recognised for their exceptional products.

Forbes Raeburn & Sons based in Huntly, Aberdeenshire were presented with the Scotch Lamb Consumers Choice award for their Scotch Lamb Stack, and McCaskies Butchers of Wemyss Bay who picked up the Scotch Lamb Innovation of the year for their Scotch Lamb Kiev.

Over forty-five top-class products were entered into this competition and really demonstrated the impressive combination of both tradition and innovation that the modern butcher’s business represents.

With the quality and range of the products submitted, it was a tough task to decide the overall champion as well as the other two winning products. However, the judges were delighted with the standard of entries commenting on the attention to detail, ideas and flavours of the winning products.

Graeme Sharp, Scotch Butchers Club Manager, congratulated all the butchers and their teams on their award wins.

He said: “The Scotch Lamb Butcher of the Year awards offer an excellent opportunity to celebrate the commitment of our Scotch Butchers Club members and gives them some well-deserved recognition.”

For more information on Scotch Lamb PGI, including recipes, videos and tips, visit www.scotchkitchen.com or follow Scotch Kitchen on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.