Kelsius Supports NCB Product Awards as Category Winners Announced

Kelsius and National Craft Butchers representatives present The Country Victualler with the 2026 Hot Eating Pie Category Champion award. Copy

Kelsius was delighted to support the recent National Craft Butchers (NCB) Product Awards. The awards recognised craft butchers from across England and Wales who submitted over 300 products for judging, showcasing the remarkable quality they produce every day.

At this year’s awards, Kelsius sponsored the Hot Eating Pie category, which was won by The Country Victualler, based in the heart of Nottinghamshire in Tuxford. Their business is family-run and has been crafting exceptional food for over 40 years. The Country Victualler is proudly rooted in quality and provenance, supporting British farmers and local producers. At the same time, they continually invest in sustainability, making them worthy winners.  

The NCB Product Awards shine a light on the quality and variety that craft butchers bring to their customers. They provide well-deserved recognition for businesses that take pride in their products, their service and their place within local communities.

Kelsius is proud to support the awards as we support butchers through digital food safety and temperature monitoring solutions, helping teams maintain the high standards that underpin customer confidence. We are pleased to support a sector where producing premium meat products goes hand in hand with a commitment to food safety and service.

Our congratulations to The Country Victualler, all the category winners and everyone recognised at this year’s awards. We are proud to play a part in celebrating excellence in craft butchery.

Click here to learn more about how digital HACCP and wireless temperature monitoring can help your butchery. 

For more on the awards, visit the National Craft Butchers Awards. 

Pictured L-R: The Country Victualler team Ania Wolan, Technical Manager, and Wioletta Sobczak, Bakery Production Supervisor, with NCB Board Director John Mettrick.

Kelsius Proud to Sponsor the NCB Product Awards 2026

Kelsius is proud to continue its association with National Craft Butchers (NCB) and its members as a sponsor of the upcoming NCB Product Awards 2026.

The NCB Product Awards are an opportunity to showcase the craft butchery industry. They recognise the businesses and teams that go above and beyond to create exceptional products, consistent quality and fresh innovation. From traditional favourites to new product ideas, the awards highlight the talent and dedication that make independent butchers such an important part of local communities.

This year, Kelsius is delighted to sponsor the Hot Eating Pie category, supporting one of the standout product areas in craft butchery and celebrating the skill, creativity and quality that butchers across the UK bring to their counters every day.

For Kelsius, supporting the awards is a natural extension of its work with butchers and food businesses. Kelsius helps butchers manage food safety, compliance and daily checks with greater confidence through its digital HACCP and automated temperature monitoring solutions. Kelsius is proud to work alongside businesses that put quality, safety and customer trust at the centre of everything they do.

Speaking about the awards, Keith Burke, Sales Manager for Butchery & Food Manufacturing at Kelsius, said, “Kelsius has built a strong relationship with National Craft Butchers over the years, and we are always delighted to support the organisation and its members. Craft butchers are passionate about quality, consistency and customer service, and we are proud to help them manage food safety and compliance in a practical, reliable way. The NCB Product Awards are a brilliant opportunity to celebrate the skills and innovation within the industry. I’m really looking forward to seeing the products that this year’s competition produces.”

The 2026 awards include a wide range of categories, giving craft butchers the opportunity to showcase the very best of their product range. Categories include Hot Eating Pie, Cold Eating Pie, Traditional Sausage, Innovative Sausage, Traditional Bacon, Innovative Bacon, Traditional Black Pudding, Best 30-Minute Meal, and Best Game Product.

Additional new categories for 2026 include Best Delicatessen Meats and Charcuterie, Best BBQ Product, and Best Delicatessen Product.

Recognition at the NCB Product Awards can help build customer confidence and give teams well-earned recognition. It is also a valuable opportunity for butchers to benchmark their products and celebrate the hard work that goes into producing high-quality food every day.

Entries are now open and close on Monday 17 August 2026 or earlier if categories reach capacity. So butchers are encouraged to submit their entries as soon as possible with the NCB here. 

Judging will take place on Friday 4 September 2026 at Harper Adams University, where products will be assessed through blind tasting by an experienced panel of industry experts. Winners will be announced in October.

Kelsius wishes all entrants the very best of luck and looks forward to celebrating the businesses helping to shape the future of craft butchery.

Contact Kelsius to learn more about automated temperature monitoring for butchers with real-time alerts. 

Keith Grant Master Butchers uses the Kelsius system to simplify food safety checks and ensure temperature compliance

Keith Grant is the owner of Keith Grant Master Butchers, an award-winning butcher shop known for high quality meat products and traditional craft butchery.

In his butcher shop, Keith replaced manual temperature checks with the Kelsius FoodCheck 2.0 system, which provides a simple and reliable digital workflow that helps ensure food safety checks are completed and Environmental Health Officer requirements are met.

 

WATCH – KEITH GRANT TALKS ABOUT
THE BENEFITS OF USING THE KELSIUS SYSTEM

Describing how the Kelsius system has helped his business, Keith said, “Before we got Kelsius in, we just had paper trails. It was a nightmare. When we lost power overnight, we ended up losing an awful lot of stock. Kelsius has saved that from happening ever again…It’s absolutely transformed our business. It’s saved me tonnes of money!”

Staff no longer need to record temperatures manually throughout the day. Fridge and freezer temperatures are monitored continuously and all readings are automatically recorded within the system.

Digital records can be accessed at any time and compliance reports can be generated quickly when required. This helps the business demonstrate food safety procedures during inspections.

Real-time alerts also provide an additional safeguard. If a fridge or freezer temperature moves outside the correct range, the Kelsius system sends an alert so staff can respond quickly and take action.

The result is less time spent on paperwork, clear records for compliance, and reassurance that temperatures are being monitored at all times.