Butcher crowned Scottish steak pie champion

A SMALL, family-run Wigtownshire butchers has pulled off a giant achievement to be crowned Scotland’s best traditional steak pie.

S Cronnie Family Butchers in Newton Stewart beat over 100 other entries to win the title at the Scottish Craft Butchers Awards 2025.

He initially lifted the South West regional championship before going on to secure the national title last week.

Owner Steven Cronnie said: “This is the first time we’ve ever entered a competition. To beat some of the best-known butchers in Scotland is a huge achievement.

“I’ve been making steak pies all my working life. We always reckoned ours was good but to have it judged the best in Scotland is just phenomenal – we’re proud as Punch, it’s unbelievable.”

After 19 years in the butcher trade, 52-year-old Steven established his own business in 2020, running the Queen Street shop with his wife Shirley and teenage apprentice son Liam.

And while the shop has enjoyed a regular stream of sales for their tasty steak pies, Steven is braced for a rush of customers when word gets out about their national accolade.

“It’s terrific for the business and its terrific for Newton Stewart,” he said. “To be able to boast The Best Steak Pie in Scotland is quite something for a wee rural butcher.

“I always thought we were too small to compete for a national title, but this has given us the taste for competition, so the big boys better watch their backs.”

Sharing what makes his pie a winner, he added: “We take the finest beef, sourced locally, and cook it long and slowly. We stew our steak in large pots and only make small batches. It takes 2-3 hours before we thicken up the gravy and fill our pie dishes before topping with puff pastry.

“Our beef is hung for up to three weeks and is beautifully tender.

“There’s no magic – no special secrets. Just quality beef, proper maturing and cooking and a wee bit of love stirred into every pie.”

Judges summed up the title-winning pie as “brilliant”, saying: “The pastry is even with an exceptional mix of crusty and soggy. The meat is tender and well-seasoned with a perfect balance of gravy, which held a robust consistency.”

Congratulating him, Gordon King, of Scottish Craft Butchers, said: “Steven and his family have produced an outstanding example of a steak pie at its best.”