Butchers Cranstons have won gold at a national butchery awards ceremony.

The Q Guild of Butchers Smithfield Awards bring together products from Britain’s Best Independent Butchers.

Products are scrutinised by an independent panel of judges and awarded bronze, silver or gold medals if they are deemed of high quality.

Cranstons, took home 11 awards in total, including 10 golds for its produce.

The winning products included the Penrith-based butcher and maker’s thin Cumberland sausage, Cumberland with black pudding and Cumberland with honey and mustard; smoked dry cured back bacon; pork and apple burger; honey roast ham and sausage and apple flan, all of which use pork from sourced from Orchard House Farm at nearby Newbiggin.

Other gold award products included its Bombay slice and the chicken, bacon, brie and cranberry, which is a chicken supreme stuffed with brie and cranberry sauce wrapped in multi award-winning dry cured smoked streaky bacon.

The awards ceremony took place at the Ironmongers Hall in London and hosted by Saturday Kitchen chef Matt Tebbutt.

Martin Jones, Cranstons general manager, said: “Our teams of butchers and makers are really passionate about producing high quality butchery and delicatessen goods day in day out so we love it when their hard work and dedication is recognised with quality awards, to win 10 golds is wonderful.”

Cranstons was established in 1914 and as well as butchers shops in Penrith and Hexham, has food halls in Penrith, Carlisle, Orton Grange, near Carlisle, and Brampton.

Claire Holland, manager of the Q Guild of Butchers added: “The annual Smithfield Awards are a highlight of the year for butchers across the country.

"We receive hundreds of entries for these awards and product testing is rigorous.

"To be awarded in this way is a real mark of strength and quality.

"These butchers are custodians of a proud tradition of local artisan butchery and I’m delighted to celebrate their success.”