A butcher in County Durham has been crowned a regional winner at a national rural awards dubbed the “Rural Oscars”.

Broom House Farm in Durham claimed the title of ‘best butcher’ in the North of England at The Countryside Alliance Awards this year.

Elsewhere in the county, Holmside Farm Fresh in Burnhope was also highly commended in the same category.

The Countryside Alliance Awards which are now in their 17th year recognise rural businesses across five categories, this includes:

  • ‘Best local food’
  • ‘Best butcher’
  • ‘Best pub’
  • ‘Best rural enterprise’
  • ‘Best village shop/post office’

“These businesses go the extra mile within their communities, supporting the local economy and championing local goods and services,” explains The Countryside Alliance Awards website.

It adds: “Thousands of nominations from around the country were whittled down via a public vote, with the final few advancing to the finals.

“The winner of each category will go on to represent their region in the national champions reception at the House of Lords in June, competing against other finalists from around England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.”

You can see all regional winners at the “Rural Oscars” here.

Also across the North East, Lowick Village Store, Northumberland claimed the top spot for ‘best village shop/post office’ in the North of England.

County Durham butcher praised for 'top quality and fresh' food

On Tripadvisor, Broom House Farm has a rating of 4.5/5 out of 362 reviews.

A recent visitor wrote this about the coffee shop: “We set Broom House as our midpoint of a dog walk on holiday. We planned to get there and decide whether we wanted coffee and cake, breakfast or lunch.

“After a visit to the excellent farm shop, where we sorted meals for the week, we sat down in the cafe and settled on breakfast.

“We had a full breakfast and eggs Benedict and they couldn’t have been any better. It was clear that the ingredients were top quality and fresh and served piping hot.

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“To top it off Jane, the boss, was kind enough to give us enough time to send us off on the best route home.”

Sarah Lee, Countryside Alliance director of policy, commented: "We are proud to be honouring these exceptional rural businesses, and the people behind them who are passionate about providing quality goods, services, and employment to rural communities and beyond.

"Running a business in a rural community isn’t easy, and it’s so important to celebrate the valued role these rural enterprises have in their communities. We look forward to seeing them in London at the national champions reception!"