When a local five-year-old boy died of cancer, the compassion and consideration shown by a Lanarkshire butchers touched the family’s hearts.
Now J & H Cairns Butchers in Law, Carluke, has been crowned Scotland’s best loved butchers in a nationwide competition, as customers queued up to nominate the Station Road family business for the award.
Receiving the Scottish Craft Butchers “Love Your Local Butcher” Award 2025, Jamie Cairns – who runs the business with dad Jim – said it was “overwhelming” to learn how highly regarded they were in the community.
Hundreds of nominations were received from all over Scotland as customers detailed why their local craft butcher should win this year’s accolade. But it was the heartfelt nomination of Ishbel Stevenson that singled J & H Cairns out as a butchers with a heart, in the heart of their community.
Detailing top quality service, mouth-watering products, spotless premises and friendly, kind and knowledgeable staff, Ishbel went on to tell how her nomination was especially personal.
“The shop decorated the outside of the premises with balloons for the funeral cortège, passing by, of my 5-year-old Grandson who lost his fierce battle with cancer,” she wrote.
“My Grandson Jack loved balloons, so this was a very special tribute and so much appreciated.
“This fabulous family butchers contribute to the community in many different ways. They are the real deal.”
Cairns first opened in Law in 1984, when Jamie’s dad and Grandfather set up a butchers business in Lawhill Road. In 1987, they moved to their current shop, employing four fulltime and two part-time butchers.
“We are truly honoured and humbled to receive the Love Your Local Butcher Award 2025,” said Jamie. “It’s a huge thing to be voted the best loved butchers in Scotland and we’re bursting with pride.
“As a family business that has proudly served the Law community for many years, this recognition means so much to us. Everything we do — from the quality of our meat to the service we offer — is rooted in family values, tradition and care for our customers.
“We’re just a small shop in a small village but we like to support the community through sponsorship of local sports teams, youth groups and organisations.
“Gestures like decorating our shop for young Jack’s funeral were simply our way of showing love and respect for a family who means so much to our community,” explained Jamie.
“A local butcher is not just about selling meat – it’s about playing a part in the community and knowing your customers are also your friends. We can’t thank them enough for voting for us and this award is for everyone who shops with us, our community, our dedicated team at the shop and everyone who helps keep local butchery thriving in Scotland.”
The Scottish Craft Butchers (SCB) award, supported by the Scotch Butchers Club, set out to determine how much customers loved their local butcher.
SCB Executive Manager Gordon King said the hundreds of nominations that poured in for butchers the length and breadth of the country was testament to the key role the industry plays in communities throughout Scotland.
“I am absolutely delighted to see the award go to Jim and Jamie Cairns and their team,” said Gordon. “They are the epitome of a great local family butcher and embrace the community in which they trade.
“Ishbel’s heartfelt nomination reminds us how beloved a local butcher can be and how valued they are by those who have grown from customers into friends.
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“The hundreds of customers who took the time to nominate their favourite and tell us why they deserve to win what has become a highly-coveted industry award, shows just how highly regarded and appreciated our local craft butchers are.
“A butcher is more than just a supplier of food – they create a legacy of relationships with their customers that will last a lifetime.”
