THE pies have it at a popular Johnstone butchers – with the talented team winning three prestigious awards.

John Marshall and Son earned two gold awards for their mince rounds and a silver award for their steak and sausage pie at the Scottish Craft Butchers Awards.

It was part of a string of successes for Renfrewshire firms, with Paisley-based McDowall Butchers winning a diamond award and named Scottish champions in the speciality steak pie category.

Two other Paisley companies – Gleddoch Family Butchers and WP Tulloch – also grabbed a slice of the action, scooping gold and silver respectively in the traditional steak pie section.

David Marshall, owner at John Marshall and Son, said the secret to a great pie is taking extra care at every stage of the production process.

He told The Gazette: “We make sure we have good quality meat to begin with but also make sure we season it well, get the consistency of the gravy right and get that pastry perfect.

“John Kerr, who makes our pies, has been here for nearly 30 years and it’s all credit to him really. He’s made little tweaks over the years to get things just right.

“Our pie trade is very big and we almost can’t cope at New Year as we have so many people wanting steak pies.

“We like to please our customers as much as possible so, if they come in for a pie, even if we have a stack of orders, we’ll always try to ensure they’re happy.”

More than 250 pies from across the nation took part in this year’s Scottish Craft Butchers Awards and each of them was tested for appearance, flavour, filling and appeal.

A panel of judges, including food writers, then gave their verdicts.

The awards are organised by the Scottish Federation of Meat Traders.