AN ALLOA butcher is celebrating yet again after his sausages captured the taste buds of judges at a butcher’s evaluation.

Rod Gillie of James Aitken delighted the panel of the recent Scottish Craft Butchers product evaluation, winning gold for hot and spicy sausage and silver for square sausage.

The creations were submitted for grilling by the experts at an evaluation held at Forth Valley College last month.

Winning entries were announced at the Craft Butchers regional meeting held at the Dewars Centre, Perth on Thursday September 20.

The event organised by the Scottish Craft Butchers was sponsored by McAusland Crawford and Dalesman Group and attracted an entry of 276 entries from sausage makers all over Scotland from Orkney to Solway.

Paul Boyle, president of the Scottish Craft Butchers, said: “All butchers think we make the best products but it is not until you pitch them against others that you find out just how good they really are.

“To win awards in this evaluation is a great honour for the recipients because the standards are high and by highlighting the best available this serves as an important signpost for sausage lovers on the quest for the best.”

Judges were drawn from the meat industry experts and enthusiastic sausage aficionados.

Jill Bartlett, of The Dalesman Group, added: “Britons ate an extra 25 million of sausages over the past year with speciality sausages undoubtedly a key driver in the revival of the great British Banger."