Macsween of Edinburgh, renowned for its vegetarian haggis, has won two awards in the 2009 Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards.
Macsween, whose range also includes a traditional meat haggis line and black puddings, won awards in the Business of the Year and the Environmental Sustainability categories.
Macsween's veggie haggis combines kidney beans, lentils, peanuts,
walnuts, almonds, carrots, turnip, mushrooms and vegetable margarine,
together with the traditional ingredients of oatmeal, onions and its own blend of spices and seasoning.
The recipe was developed for the opening of The Scottish Poetry Library in 1984,
and Edinburgh's "haggis king" Jo Macsween has since never looked back, with veggie haggis now accounting for 25% of all his sales.
“Haggis used to be viewed as a meat by-product, served only in
Scotland, and generally only for Burns Night celebrations. But the
vegetarian haggis has really helped change all that,” Macsween recently said on the occasion of the veggie haggis's 25th anniversary.
The ceremony for the awards, which are organised and co-sponsored by the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland and Scotland Food & Drink, was held in Glasgow last night.
2009 Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards
Retail - Soup, Preserve, Accompaniments - sponsored by The Grocer
Summer Harvest, Madderty, Crieff - Extra Virgin Cold-pressed Rapeseed Oil
Retail - Fish & Seafood - sponsored by The Grocer
Salar Smokehouse, South Uist - Flaky Smoked Salmon
Retail - Bakery & Cereal-based - sponsored by The Grocer
Border Biscuits, South Fauld Road, Lanark - Deliciously Different Range Of Biscuits
Retail - Meat (Red, White & Game) - sponsored by The Grocer
Simon Howie Butchers, Findony, Muckhart Road, Dunning - Scottish Dry Cure Bacon
Retail - Drink (Alcoholic & Non-Alcoholic) - sponsored by The Grocer
Berry Good, Tiree Cottage, Watten, Caithness - Berry Good Vodka Infused With Scottish Berries
Retail - Fruit or Vegetable - sponsored by The Grocer
Angus Soft Fruits, East Seaton, Arbroath - Good Natured Fruit - Strawberries, Raspberries & Blueberries
Retail - Dairy, Confectionery & Snacking - sponsored by The Grocer
Graham's The Family Dairy, Airthrey Kerse Farm, Bridge of Allan - Graham's Gold Jersey Dairy Products
Food Service - sponsored by Sodexo
Iain Burnett - The Highland Chocolatier, Legends of Grandtully, Grandtully, Perthshire - The Velvet Truffle - Gourmet Chocolate Truffle
Product Innovation - sponsored by Scotland Food & Drink
Carmichael Estate Farm Meats, Westmains, Carmichael, near Biggar - Venison Rashers
Healthy Choices/Healthy Eating - sponsored by Food & Health Alliance
Summer Harvest Extra Virgin Cold-pressed Rapeseed Oil
International Business of the Year. - sponsored by Scottish Development International
Gourmets Choice, Shore Street, Portsoy - Exporters of salmon products to the international food service market
Marketing Initiative of the Year - sponsored by the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland
Graham's The Family Dairy for Graham's Gold Jersey Dairy Products
Success Through Working in Partnerships - sponsored by the Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society
Argyll Food Producers - "Food From Argyll", Campbeltown - Mix of products from primary and secondary producers
Environmental Sustainability - sponsored by Envirowise
Macsween of Edinburgh, Dryden Road, Bilston Glen, Loanhead, Edinburgh - Makers of award-winning haggis
Food Tourism - sponsored by VisitScotland
Cocoa Mountain, Balnakeil, Durness, Lairg - Europe's most northerly chocolate maker
Product of the Year - sponsored by Scottish Enterprise
Salar Smokehouse's Flaky Smoked Salmon
Business of the Year - sponsored by Scottish Enterprise
Macsween of Edinburgh