John Ross Jr. (Aberdeen) Ltd., Scotland’s oldest commercial producer of traditional Scottish smoked salmon, struck gold for the third consecutive year at this year’s Great Taste Awards, organized by the Guild of Fine Food.
The Aberdeen smokehouse was awarded a gold-star rating for its Balmoral Fillet after 350 judges blind tasted 7,481 products from 1,600 producers over a period of 34 days.
Slow-smoked over oak and beech wood chippings for up to 28 hours, the Balmoral Fillet was launched to the public late last year; its one of the smokehouse’s most exclusive products.
“Achieving a gold-star rating for three years in succession is a huge honor and no mean feat,” said Christopher Leigh, director at John Ross Jr. “Scotland produces some of the world’s finest luxury foods, and the Guild of Fine Food plays an important role in making the public aware of this. We are proud of the Balmoral Fillet, delighted to have achieved gold yet again and look forward to producing more award-winning products.”
John Ross Jr. uses traditional red brick kilns dating back to 1857, and the smokehouse now supplies illustrious hotels, restaurants and retail outlets across the United Kingdom and 36 countries worldwide.
Bob Farrand, chairman of the Great Taste Awards, said: “Winning gold in the country’s largest and most respected independent food accreditation scheme is a massive pat on the back for any producer — independent proof their products are of the highest quality. We provide constructive feedback from our expert judging teams and for many, winning one, two or three-star gold is exactly what’s needed to help grow their businesses, even during a recession. Every winner should feel very proud that their hard work has been rewarded.”
John Ross Jr. has been producing Scottish smoked salmon for more than 150 years. Its brick kilns are so rare that they have been awarded “listed” status by Historic Scotland.
Holders of the Royal Warrant, John Ross Jr. supplies world-renowned hotels and restaurants in the UK and 36 countries across the globe with its smoked salmon, gravadlax and other smoked fish, smoked meat and fresh fish and meat products.
Pictured is Leigh, firing up the traditional red brick kilns. For more photos, “like” SeafoodSource on Facebook.
