Andrew with some of the award winning products

We’ve managed to win a haul of gold awards in the national Q Guild’s 2009 Smithfield Awards, two for our traditional pork sausage one for stuffed pork loin and a Christmas special.

The Smithfield Awards, held in London, are among the most highly coveted in the meat industry and a true indication of excellence. More than 500 products from Q butchers throughout the UK were assessed by an independent panel of experts.

We then followed up with a further two gold awards at a British Pig Executive (BPEX) event in Harrogate – again with our traditional pork sausage, the second in the ‘Young Sausage Maker’ category, when Andrew Teal struck gold with his pork with honey and wholegrain mustard sausage.

Andrew, 24, from Barnoldswick, also received a BPEX silver award for the business’s dry-cured bacon.

Andrew first joined us on leaving school, before returningin September this year after honing his butchery experience and skills with a meat industry supplier in Colne. Andrew and fellow butcher Andrew Cawkwell produce the award-winning products all of which are on sale in the shop.

New signage has also been installed as part of a national branding exercise led by the Q Guild, the organisation that represents some of the best independent butchers in Britain. Drake & Macefield was accepted as a member in 2007.

Established in 1898 and thought to be one of Skipton’s oldest businesses, Drake & Macefield has expanded and diversified extensively over the past decade. An ongoing investment programme has included the provision of in-house cooking facilities at the Skipton shop, along with diversification into new product ranges, the launch of a second shop in Settle, as well as the opening of a
meat preparation unit on Skipton’s Snaygill Industrial Estate to cater for increasing customer demand.
Drake & Macefield has also made its mark in the meat industry awards arena, winning multiple accolades for its pies, sausages and black puddings – and being chosen as National Pork Pie Champions.

Partner Richard Teal said:

The refurbishment of our Skipton shop is our biggest single investment in the business to date. We have come far in recent years. For example, at the turn of the new Millennium, we employed just three people and were selling around
100 pork pies a week. We now have a 14-strong workforce and are selling some 5,000 pies every
week.

Craven’s oldest butcher opened its second shop in Settle Market Place in 1999 to ensure the town retained an independent family butcher. The business hasn’t looked back since and is now a household name in North Craven, having built up a regular and ever-growing local customer base – peoplewho appreciate quality, local produce, all at the right price.

The Settle shop is in the capable hand of brothers Steven, 24 and 21-year-old Adam Procter,  both from
Hellifield. Like all other members of the Drake & Macefield team, they will go that extra mile to help shop customers.