THIS category celebrates the best butchers in the county.

They were shortlisted for selling local produce with high standards in hygiene.

The finalists are: Oakchurch Farm Shop, Ogleby Butchers, and Quarry Farm Shop.

The butchery at Oakchurch Farm Shop in Staunton-on-Wye sells award-winning beef which comes directly from their own farm and other meats from other local sources that they know and trust.

There sell lamb from Bredwardine and poultry from Springfield Poultry in Leominster. For their free range pork they have to go a little further afield to Packingtons of Warwickshire.

Nick Price from Oakchurch said: "Our butchery manager, Vince, has 34 years experience as a butcher and has HACCP level 3 and food hygiene level 2, as do all of our butchers."

He added: "Nothing is ever too much trouble. So, when a customer asked us if we could make some sausages for him using a recipe that he had found dating back to the Boer War we jumped at the chance and they were served up at a local End of Boer War centenary dinner."

Ogleby Butchers in St Owen Street in Hereford is the city's oldest family-run butchers, established in 1924.

The business has been run by four generations of Oglebys and is the last remaining shop of six butchers shops which once resided in St Owen Street.

Christopher Ogleby said: "Meat is sourced locally from the same family of farmers we have used for three generations. Relationships built over many years ensure a supply of high quality produce."

The butchers is also very popular for its hog roasts and home products including pies, burgers, sausages and faggots.

All staff are trained in-house, learning from the vast knowledge of each previous generation of Ogleby butchers.

Food hygiene is paramount and they have a five star food hygiene rating.

Quarry Farm Shop in Nordan, Leominster is the third finalist.

Richard Jones from the farm said: "The heart of what we do and why the business started was as a butchers.

"The family farm is the main source of our meat. We open longer hours than most butchers, making sure we can be there for customers whatever part of their day they come to us."

The beef and lamb is raised on their farm run by family members. They source poultry from Springfield Poultry at Steensbridge; pork through Griffiths of Leintwardine, sourced from Craven Arms; and venison from Craven Arms game dealers. Their bacon and sausage is cured in-house.

All of the team spend time preparing cuts of meat to order and creating pies and other meal staples.