TWO East Lothian butchers have started the new year with a flurry of prizes in the latest round of national industry awards.

Anderson's Quality Butchers, based on North Berwick High Street, secured a Gold Award and four Silver Awards for its traditional and speciality pies and meat pastries in the Scottish Craft Butchers Savoury Pastry Products Awards.

An outstanding chicken, leek and bacon pie – judged to be among the best chicken pies in Scotland – lifted a coveted Gold Award, while Anderson's sausage rolls, game pies, steak and haggis pies and Scotch pies each brought home a Silver Award.

John Anderson, who owns the business, was delighted with the awards, and said there were no secrets to the success of his tasty pastries.

"Just quality ingredients, locally sourced and some traditional skills," he said.

And John, who took over the shop 25 years ago, is quick to pass credit for the award-winning products to his son Ryan and the rest of the 14-strong team at North Berwick's only butchers shop.

He added: "Ryan and some of the others do all the recipes for our savoury pastries," he explained, "and they're now a very popular part of the business.

"These latest awards from the industry will endorse our quality and hopefully reassure our customers that they're buying the best."

Meanwhile, Linton Butchers in East Linton earned five Silver Awards for their sausage rolls, Scotch pies, steak and kidney pies, handheld steak pies and chicken curry pies.

Co-owner Elaine McKirdy, who runs the business with her husband John, said the award-winning entries represented an expanding range of meat pastries at the shop.

She said: "These awards endorse the quality of our products and show we’re going in the right direction.

“The SCB awards are a great new year boost for the staff and the customers and we’re delighted to have been recognised in this way by the industry and our peers.”

Douglas Scott, chief executive of Scottish Craft Butchers, said: "The evaluation drives up standards year after year, all to the benefit of the customer.

"Identifying the very best is of immense importance since these are the products that pastry enthusiasts will travel big distances to source.

"These awards show customers just what a high standard their local butcher sets.”