Not so offal after all... Haggis maker says business is booming thanks to rise in customers from ENGLAND
- Butcher Simon Howie credits surge in demand in England for his companies success in 2023
- Haggis sales rose by 35 per cent south of the border as cash-strapped shoppers looked to beat the cost of living crisis
- Scottish delicacy is traditionally made with sheep’s liver, lungs and heart and encased in the lining of the animal’s stomach.
It is one of Scotland’s most famous dishes.
But one butcher has seen its profits rocket thanks to haggis lovers south of the Border.
Customers in England have been lapping up the savoury pudding, which is traditionally made with sheep’s liver, lungs and heart and encased in the lining of the animal’s stomach.
Perthshire butcher Simon Howie, which supplies some of the country’s largest supermarkets and has shops in Perth and Auchterarder, now credits the sales in England for the company’s success in 2023.
The firm, which employs 118 staff, saw its pre-tax profits rise from £4.4million in 2022 to £5.5million last year.
Managing director Simon Howie said: ‘Our dry cured bacon, black pudding and haggis lines continue to be the UK’s best selling (units) in their categories.
Scottish butcher Simon Howie says his business enjoyed success last year due to an upturn in demand from English customers
Haggis is traditionally made from the liver, lungs and heart of a sheep and encased in the animal's stomach
‘We are pleased to see that a lot of our growth came from sales south of the Scottish border.’
The firm’s latest annual accounts show the business had a turnover of more than £29million to the year ending December 2023.
And Mr Howie said: ‘Turnover is envisaged to further increase in 2024 with the marketing of new products.’
In the decade up to 2020, haggis has grown in popularity, with a 136 per cent increase in tonnage of haggis shipped across the world.
And in 2014 demand for haggis and white pudding rocketed by 80 per cent in major supermarkets when the Commonwealth Games was held in Glasgow.
Tesco said customers’ curiosity about Scottish food and drink had been sparked by widespread coverage of the Games.
Made from sheep’s liver, lungs and heart mashed up with spices and wrapped in the animal’s stomach, or more commonly a plastic casing, haggis has never been a dish for the squeamish.
But offal and cheaper cuts of meat become increasingly popular in 2011 as shoppers tried to save money on their food bills as the recession hit.
And during that year haggis enjoyed a massive boost in popularity in England due to the economic downturn.
As the credit crunch took its toll sales of the delicacy rose by 35 per cent south of the border as cash-strapped shoppers looked for new ways of making their money go further when doing their weekly shop.
At an average price of around £1.50 a serving during the credit crunch, and with a high fat content that makes it filling, it became the perfect dish for recession-hit households.
