By Bonny Burrows
In the quite country town of Garfield lies Gippsland’s best butcher and some of the best bacon in Australia.
The accolades were recently bestowed upon to John Preston and his team Country Style Meats, with the small business placing in the top two of 2017 Australian PorkMark Artisan Bacon Awards during National Bacon Week, as well as winning the HIT Gippsland award for Best Butcher.
These awards follow another win early in the year when Country Style Meats was presented with the Best Butchers Beef Burger and Strasbourg for South East Victoria award by the Australian Meat Industry Council.
Mr Preston, a third-generation butcher, opened Country Style Meats more than 20 years ago.
He specialises in quality locally sourced meat, smokehouse goods and ready-made meals.
The Best Butcher award was determined by public voting and a “stoked” Mr Preston thanked everyone who voted.
“The rapport we have with our customers is part of the joy of being a butcher, in addition to providing families with the best quality meat,” Mr Preston said.
The award-winning butcher said he was always trying to broaden his products to meet the changing needs of his customers.
“We understand people are time poor, so to make meal times easier we are continually expanding our range of healthy ready-made meals such as the family chunky beef and chicken pies and the heat and eat lasagnes, which are all made on-site,” Mr Preston said.
Mr Preston acknowledged his hard-working staff for their contribution to the awards and thanked them for their ongoing hard work.
“A huge effort from staff have made this happen – their continual support is of great significance as it contributes to products being produced and being recognised on a national level,” he said.
