A Larbert butcher has beaten off competition from all over Scotland to “steak” their claim on a top industry award.
Kinnaird Butcher Shop & Deli has won the coveted Diamond Award for the best ribeye steak in Scotland in the Scottish Craft Butchers Awards 2026.
Thrilled director Karl Hearton (37) said the staff were “absolutely buzzing” with the announcement and said that the national title was testament to the hard work and investment at the McIntyre Avenue shop.
Karl revealed that they owed their success to their walk-in Himalayan rock salt chamber – the first and only one of its kind in Scotland – used to dry age their cuts of prime Scotch beef.
“We know our steaks are good and we know why,” he said. “We built this shop and business around the salt chamber and have become renowned for our dry aged steaks, with customers travelling from as far as south of the Border to buy them.
“By using prime quality Scotch beef and drying it for 40 days in the chamber, we have perfected the optimum process for the tastiest steaks and we’re really ecstatic to have that belief backed up by this award – it’s tremendous.”
Kinnaird keep a constant rotation of cuts in the drying chamber, allowing a constant supply of roasts ready for customers’ steak requests.
“We usually cut our ribeye to around 12oz steaks, but we can make them as large or as small as the customer wants,” said Karl.
And Karl is over the moon that his favourite cut has been the one to lift the multi-award-winning shop’s latest accolade.
“Ribeye is my idea of perfection,” he said. “It’s the best steak going and to be judged as producing the best ribeye in Scotland is pretty special – a great achievement for us all.”
Judges described Kinnaird’s nation-beating entry as “an exceptional steak”.
“Moist, tender, flavoursome,” they said. “Superb.”
Scottish Craft Butchers Executive Manager Gordon King said the maturing of the meat held the secret to success.
“Our local craft butchers do steak extremely well in Scotland,” he said. “Each perfects their own ageing process, maturing the meat gently and cutting and trimming as the customer prefers.
“Experience and skill come into play and Kinnaird have some of the best in the form of Karl, owner Gavin Colquhoun and butcher Ryan Tierney who are all responsible for the ageing process at Kinnaird.
“The winning steak was exceptional and wowed the judges and it’s heartening to see the focus, dedication and passion put into the process pay dividends in the form of a Diamond Award for Kinnaird.”
Jason Ward, general manager with awards sponsors John Scott Meat, said he was thrilled to see one of their customers lift the bi-ennial award.
“Kinnaird always know how to treat any cut of meat,” he said, “and we always select our prime beef for them.
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“A personal favourite, the classic ribeye steak is up there with the finest cuts of beef available.
“We’re proud to be this year’s sponsor of the Best Ribeye Steak Competition and would like to congratulate all the Scottish butchers who showcased their exceptional produce. It’s a true testament to the outstanding quality available at your local butcher, where quality, provenance, and traceability come as
standard.”
