A butchers with stores in Cumbria and Hexham has nabbed two Great Taste 1 star gold awards from the Guild of Fine Food.

Cranstons won the awards for its Cumberland and Black Pudding Sausage and Ham on the Bone.

These were selected from a total of 13,672 products and earned the accolade after being judged by the Guild of Fine Food’s expert panel.

The blind judging process, covering 92 days, tested products from 115 different countries.

Before products undergo the judging process, they are stripped of their packaging so they cannot be identified.

Out of the thousands of products judged, only 40 per cent were granted Great Taste status.

The panel describe the sausage as 'a very enjoyable and well-made sausage', while the Ham on the Bone caught attention for being 'a great looking slice of ham'.

Cranstons' senior commercial manager, James Cranston said: "We are thrilled to have won a Great Taste award for our Black Pudding sausage and traditional ham on the bone.

"We are passionate about our products and our butchery and kitchen teams work really hard to ensure these products are excellent day in, day out, we are all so proud to have their quality recognised.''

He said that with the two latest wins, Cranstons has won 19 Great Taste awards in the past five years.

The full list of this year’s winners and where to buy them can be found at www.gff.co.uk/directory.