Butcher’s record year for steak pie sales

Family firm Malcolm Allan, based in Larbert, Stirlingshire, have produced 200,000 steak pies for Asda this Hogmanay alone - their “biggest number of pies yet”.

The traditional Scottish New Year’s dinner dish came about as New Year’s Day was not a holiday - so families were too busy to cook, opting instead to buy big steak pies from their local butcher.

If the pies that Malcolm Allan have produced for Hogmanay this year were piled on top of each other, they would measure 1237 times the height of the Kelpies structure at Helix Park, Falkirk.

The firm have grown year on year, with supermarket giant Asda supporting the butchers by stocking 46 lines of products.

The good news for the firm comes at the start of Scotland’s Year of Food and Drink, a special event celebrating the best of the country’s produce.

Last year saw the 60th anniversary of the butcher business launched by Malcolm Allan, with the third generation of the family now involved in running it.

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Gordon Allan, who runs the business along with brother James, said today: “It’s great to be introducing our biggest number of pies yet for our 30th year supplying Asda.

“We are totally focused on providing first class quality that exceeds expectations.

“Although we are no longer butchers on the high street, our relationship with Asda has in fact allowed us to maintain our quality of a butchers offering to millions of people, and as a result we have doubled our staff, and we’re exceeding sales expectations with figures growing by 20 per cent year on year.

“The support that Asda gives suppliers in Scotland really is second to none, and it’s great to see a retailer actively promoting Scottish producers.”

Every year around 575,000 Malcolm Allan steak pies are sold in Asda’s Scottish stores -- enough to feed 2.3 million people.

The family makes over 11 million slices of lorne sausage each year, making 65 per cent of the sausage in Scotland.

Currently, the Allan family are selling 20 tonnes each week as shoppers opt to buy more locally produced foods.

The butcher started their relationship with Asda by supplying lorne sausage and black pudding to the Asda distribution canteen in Falkirk -- after it was such a hit with staff, the products soon began to fill shelves in the shops.

Asda’s regional buying manager for Scotland, Brian O’Shea, said today: “We are very proud to support local suppliers and in doing so offer our shoppers great tasting regional products at affordable prices, particularly around key trading times such as Christmas and Hogmanay.

“Malcolm Allan started off supplying our canteens and the relationship has quite simply grown and grown ever since.

“The products flying off our shelves speak for themselves are testament to the strength of our relationship with them and of the quality of the products they supply.”

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