Scotland’s leading butcher secures three stars for Smoked Streaky Bacon
Perthshire based butcher, Simon Howie, has secured a hat trick of Great Taste Awards, scoring a record three stars for its Smoked Streaky Bacon, two stars for its Smoked Back Bacon and one star for its Premium Steak Lorne.
For the first time in its history of entering, Simon Howie was awarded three stars. Its Smoked Streaky Bacon was described as ‘possibly the best bacon they’ve ever had in the judging room’:
‘Amazingly thin rashers of bacon that smelled and tasted as good as they looked with a gorgeous depth of savouriness with a subtle sweet smokiness that was simply irresistible. A superb example of how crisp, streaky bacon should taste.’
‘Meaty with treacle-like sweetness, the flavour is persistent while the texture dissolves slowly in the mouth. It is perfection. The true work of an artisan.’
To celebrate its three-star status and as a fun way of creating an everlasting memory of the occasion, the team at Simon Howie has named a star ‘Smoked Streaky Bacon’. The star, which forms part of a 3-star constellation, can be found with the coordinates RA: 02H 49M 5.4S DEC: -32° 24’ 22.6” and was officially registered on the 29th July 2025, the date the results were announced.
The Great Taste Awards are the world’s largest and most trusted food and drink accreditation scheme and judged by 500 of the most coveted food and drink experts from chefs to restaurateurs, food writers and critics. Less than 2% of the 14,000+ entries secured a 3 star award this year. Simon Howie has now scooped 24 Great Taste awards over the past 9 years of continuous winning.
Simon Howie further cemented their bacon reputation with their Premium Dry Cure Smoked Back Bacon also securing a mighty two stars, with the judges commenting:
‘This bacon looks very pleasing, with a lovely colour, size and shape and caramelisation. The flavours are well balanced, with a gorgeous sweetness coming through.’
And for the first time, the butcher’s Premium Steak Lorne was awarded one star with the judges calling out:
‘The judges really enjoyed the seasoning and spices in this sausage. The edges had a pleasing crispness, while the centre was still springy and juicy. The length of flavour in the mouth is pleasant, meaty and traditional.’
Simon Howie, owner of Simon Howie Butchers said: “We pride ourselves on the quality and taste of our products. Our team of butchers take great care to craft the right balance of flavour and texture creating delicious products for our customers. We hugely respect the opinions of the Great Taste Awards judging panel and we’re delighted to have such positive feedback across three for our most popular products.”
Simon Howie’s award winning Smoked Streaky Bacon, Smoked Back Bacon and Premium Steak Lorne are available to buy from selected Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Asda, Co-op and Scotmid stores.
