A SUPPLIER of fresh meat and fine foods to leading hotels, restaurants and events picked up ten stars at the Great Taste Awards 2017.

Family company Udale Speciality Foods is based near Orton and at Morecambe and is run by brothers Ian and Neil Udale, having been founded by their great-grandfather in 1905.

Udale's dry-aged pork shoulder was awarded two stars, with judges saying: "The lean meat is sweet, juicy and succulent - very rich and totally satisfying. A good shoulder with plenty of character."

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Dry-aged lamb shoulder also won two stars and earned the comments: "A stunning-looking joint beautifully cooked. Tender, sweet, milky flavours with length. The fat is creamy, not overly greasy, with a melt-in-the-mouth texture. Rich and full in flavour without being overwhelming. A completely perfect piece of lamb. Full marks from every judge!"

Great Taste is described as the largest and most trusted accreditation scheme for fine food and drink. Every year, thousands of products are blind-tasted by panels of specialists including top chefs, cookery writers, food critics, restaurateurs and retailers. Fewer than three per cent are awarded three stars, while two-star products are classed as outstanding, and one-star as delicious.

Udale's dry-aged four-bone rib of beef, dry-aged cote de boeuf, dry-aged lamb rack, dry-aged lamb rump, dry-aged leg of lamb and Slacks of Cumbria traditional Cumberland sausage were all awarded one star each. Judged lavished praise on the cote de boeuf, saying: "We love the real deep rich beefy aroma, the joint of meat looks fabulous, the fat has rendered perfectly, the beef is moist and beautifully tender to eat. The fat has an almost nectar aspect to it, we really enjoyed your salt chamber creation."

Of the sausage they said: "We love the sweetness of the pork followed by the pepper spicing. The pepper heat is not aggressive and very warming. This is a very pleasing sausage."