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. 

With Kelsius, Conference Aston & Wilson Vale transform food safety culture and go fully digital

Conference Aston is Birmingham’s only residential conference centre, located on the Aston University campus. The venue operates a single kitchen serving hotel guests, delegates and private events. With a focus on delivering high-quality, safe catering experiences, Conference Aston combines hospitality excellence with modern operational management.

Managing food safety across a large hospitality venue with a single kitchen was becoming increasingly complex. Conference Aston relied on paper-based HACCP records, which could be time-consuming, inconsistent and prone to human error or falsification. Chefs used to spend hours photocopying and filing paperwork.

Audits could be slow with record-keeping traceability time-consuming to trace when issues arose. The leadership recognised the need for a modern, digital solution to standardise checks, ensure accuracy, and provide instant access to compliance data across all catering operations.

With the introduction of FoodCheck 2.0 from Kelsius, the Executive Head Chef has been able to tailor the system’s tasks and workflows to match existing operations, adding checks for deliveries, cleaning, and equipment monitoring. The platform’s flexibility allows new tasks, users and schedules to be added instantly, ensuring the system always reflects current operational needs.

Conference Aston and Wilson Vale have transformed their food safety culture by moving from paper to a fully digital, automated process. The team now saves five hours each week, operates more sustainably, and has complete confidence in compliance and traceability. The Kelsius FoodCheck 2.0 system has become integral to daily operations, helping Conference Aston deliver the highest standards of food safety, quality and guest assurance.