Popular Kibworth butchers named as one of the best in the UK

After winning the regional heats, staff from Bridge 67 Butchers were delighted when the judges announced their name as the best in its field in the UK at the recent Countryside Alliance Awards.

The butchers was given the special Clarissa Dickson Award at the national finalists’ ceremony at the House of Lords, an award that "celebrates businesses who focus on strong animal husbandry and butchery, support slow and artisan food, foster our farming heritage, and take action to educate and inform".

Announcing Bridge 67 Butchers as the winner of the Clarrisa Dickson Wright award, Peter Gott (Sillfield Farm and co-founder of Borough Market) said: “This is a business that lives and breathes the values Clarissa Dickson Wright championed - high welfare, honest food, and fearless pride in farming. Every product they sell comes with a story, rooted in the Leicestershire soil. The beef, lamb, pork, honey, and eggs in the shop all come from the family farm, just down the road. Provenance is not a label; it’s a lived truth."

Praising their staff, he added: “Staff spend time on the farm to understand breeding, calving, and animal welfare. The link between farm and fork is not just explained, it is experienced by all involved. Their cookery and butchery school educates the next generation, while school visits, Young Farmers events, WI talks, and even lambs in preschools ensure that learning about food starts early and encompasses the whole community.

“The business holds an annual lambing and calving open day, attracting 700 visitors this year, and offering demonstrations on food preparation, farming and sustainability. Antibiotics are rarely needed thanks to exceptional husbandry, and a local vet has commended their welfare as among the best seen.

“They give back too, with over £1,000 in charity donations each year, and regular appearances on local radio spreads the word about responsible and sustainable food. This is a business driven by purpose and passion and built on trust and transparency.”

The Countryside Alliance Awards – now in their 18th year – recognise rural businesses across five categories, including ‘best local food’, ‘best butcher’, ‘best pub’, ‘best rural enterprise’, and ‘best village shop/ post office’.