Dromara business scoops Royal Highland Show prize

Abernethy Butter, established in 2005 by local couple Will and Allison Abernethy, was the only Northern Irish butter producer participating in the competition.

Will and Allison’s hand-churned butter was awarded 89 out of 100 for its “creamy and delicious” taste, beating dairy producers from across Scotland and England to win the prize.

Producing hand-churned butter and handmade fudge at their farm outside Dromara, the two have seen their business grow steadily in recent years and now supply more than 60 shops and various restaurants across Northern Ireland. They make hundreds of rolls of butter by hand each day and also use their butter to produce award-winning fudge, recipient of a one-star gold at the great taste awards last summer.

The two were delighted, they said, to have won recognition in this, their first outing at the Royal Highland Show.

Now in its 172nd year, the show, held at the Royal Highland Centre in Islington, outside Edinburgh, annually attracts more than 200,000 visitors and hundreds of entrants in various competitions.

It has been hailed one of the biggest events in the agricultural calendar and winning a prize is considered a huge accolade.