Gavin Williamson, MP for South Staffordshire, visited Pattingham butcher Craig Thomas who recently won a gold and bronze medal for the family butchers’ black puddings.
Craig was the only entrant from the United Kingdom to compete and win medals in the prestigious products competition organised by Deutscher-Fleischer-Verband held at the IFFA trade expo in Frankfurt Germany on Monday 9th May where the Competition and evaluation was open to competitors from all over the world pitting their products against the Germans and the German judges.
Martin Thomas Family Butchers of Wolverhampton Road, Pattingham, South Staffordshire, took a gold medal for their black pudding with beer and a bronze for their traditional black pudding
The gold medal winning product - was Martin Thomas’s black pudding with beer, which incorporates real ale from the Black Country. This was the second major accolade this product has gained as it won in Yorkshire in October 2015. The ale produced by Batham’s Brewery in Delph, Quarry Bank, near to where the grand parents of Craig Thomas had their previous shop. The current one was launched in 1978.
Craig is a sixth generation butcher and says that tradition remains key to the philosophy of the business, which first started making its own award-winning black puddings in 1998.
Commenting on Craig’s recent win Gavin said: “I was delighted that Craig won a gold and bronze medal in Frankfurt. This is a phenomenal achievement, especially being the only UK entrant.
“Once again this proves that here in South Staffordshire we have the best butchers anywhere in the country, maybe even Europe. I would like to offer Craig and the Martin Thomas Family Butchers, many congratulations on their well-deserved award for some of the finest produce in this country.”