Staff at Cumbrian butchers Cranstons have taken a hat trick of prizes at an 'Oscars'-style ceremony.

It flew the flag for the county by picking up three golds - for its dry cured streaky bacon, pork pie, and chicken kievs at the Butchers Q Guild Smithfield Awards, regarded as one of the toughest product evaluation tests.

All the gold award-winning products are sold at Cranstons outlets in Penrith, Carlisle, Orton Grange, Brampton and Hexham.

The business has won multiple accolades, most recently when its Orton Grange food hall, on the A595 four miles west of Carlisle, was judged best national Food Hall in the 2016 Butchers Shop of the Year Awards, run by the Meat Trades Journal.

Owner Philip Cranston said: "Smithfield gold awards are among the best and most prestigious in the business.

"Our farmers and butchers continue to work extremely hard to ensure quality is as good as it can be, so it’s both gratifying and satisfying when this effort and commitment to quality is recognised by industry experts."

Cranstons dry cured streaky bacon is cured traditionally, with pork loins from Orchard House Farm at Newbiggin.

Open to the Q Guild's 123 members nationwide, the 2017 Smithfield Awards attracted a record entry of almost 600 individual products from 61 butcher businesses from the Scottish Highlands down to the south coast.

Q Guild national chairman Mark Turnbull, said: "The response this year was absolutely amazing.

"All winners now have an opportunity to promote their products – and their businesses – for a full 11 months within the current year of the awards, which we feel will prove a truly potent and effective marketing tool."

Fellow Cumbrians, Higginsons Family Butchers, of Grange, also took three awards.