THE owner of a well-established butchers is extremely pleased to scoop a Telegraph & Argus award.

Keighley's Lund Butchers took home the T&A's Best Butcher gong earlier this month to the great surprise of owner Craig Bradley.

"It was a great start to the new year," he said.

"I was shocked at first. We are very pleased with it. We have done very well.

"It was probably the quality and service (that stood us out). We have many loyal customers."

Mr Bradley has been at the helm of the business for the last 22 years, taking on the reins from current employee 82-year-old John Lund.

The top butcher spoke about how the industry has changed over the years and the impact Covid has surprisingly had.

Mr Bradley added: "Over 100 years, Lund Butchers has been going. I have owned it for 22 years.

"It has changed massively over those years. A lot more ready-made stuff goes out now than it ever used to do.

"People are coming back to the butchers now (from big supermarkets) especially since the pandemic started.

"It is the personal service we offer and the fact that we are local.

"Once they have tasted the quality of the butchers, they realise there is quite a difference. We don't produce commercial stuff.

"We have never been as busy since the pandemic started."

Mr Bradley ended by summarising what it is like to be a butcher, whilst thanking his customers.

"There are not many other jobs where you would carry on doing it for so long. It is a life, not just a job.

"It is nice to get an award and see the butchers in the paper.

"I would like to thank all my loyal customers and everyone who voted."

The T&A's Best Butchers award was the latest in a number of competitions we have run recognising the great businesses we have in the Bradford district.

In the past year, some of the competitions we have run have included Best Eat Out to Help Out, Best Fish and Chip Shop, Best Pub, Best Hair Salon and most recently, Best Cafe.

“People get so excited to get involved with these competitions,” said Lauren Wood, marketing executive at the Telegraph and Argus.

“We’ve had a really positive response to them.

“We can get thousands of nominations, sometimes we’ve had 3,000 to 4,000 nominations for one place."