DOUBLE SUCCESS

Ian Bunting

Just two months after their mouthwatering chicken pies were judged the best in Scotland, an uppercrust Monklands butchers has now scooped a delicious double success at the British pie awards.

Hugh Black & Sons’ crowning glory at the UK-wide contest – which saw them beat over 900 other pies to their prizes – was even more remarkable as this was the first time the popular firm had entered the highly prestigious competition.

They received the highest possible industry recognition for their steak and haggis pie and their chicken and smoked ham hough with parsley sauce pie, which won silver and bronze awards respectively.

Both tasty favourites also brought home the bacon at the Scottish craft butchers savoury pastry products awards in January, with the chicken treat named the country’s finest and the steak pie scooping a gold award.

Hugh Black & Sons, who have shops in Airdrie and Coatbridge town centres, also secured a gold award for their Scotch pies and silver awards for their bridies, handheld steak pies and chicken Madras curry pies in the Scottish competition.

Factory manager and product development chief Willie Kemp devised the new recipes and is thrilled to follow on Scottish success with British commendation.

He said: “This was the first time we had entered the British pie awards and we were up against well over 900 other pies from across the UK.

“But, because we won the awards at the Scottish craft butchers contest earlier this year, we decided to go for it and put our pies forward in the British event.

“We are absolutely delighted to scoop two awards and to receive this recognition from such a wide selection of our industry peers is very humbling.”

Willie added: “We have our own abattoir and bakery, so we know the provenance and quality of all our ingredients.

“I create a sauce and meat combination that I know will work and then we taste-test