Etherington’s Farm Shop, near Scorrier in Cornwall, has been handed an exclusive and prestigious honour – membership of the national Butchers Q Guild.

The shop, based in Wheal Rose, is now recognised as one of the highest quality butchers in the UK. The Q Guild brand is a seal of excellence – it has just 110 members, all elite, award-winning butchers from the Scottish Highlands to the south coast.

Etherington’s is a third generation family-run butchery business first established in 1954 in Crofthandy, near St Day, by Robert William Etherington, who handed it down to his son Brian, then on to his own son Mark.

Today, Etherington’s, which employs more than 50 local people and remains fiercely proud of its Cornish roots, is comprised of three standalone businesses.

Brian Etherington Meat Company continues to supply top-notch meat from locally reared traditional and rare breed animals to individual outlets across the south-west, among them some of Cornwall’s most prestigious restaurants, as well as high profile London establishments, including the Royal Albert Hall.

All its meats are on sale in Etherington’s Farm Shop, launched in November, 2012, and already a Taste of the West 2013 award winner. It also sells Cornish fruit, vegetables, dairy products and dry goods, as well as Trevithick’s fresh pastries, along with Cornish beers and wines.

“We have filled the farm shop with a superior selection from around the county, stocking almost everything required for a one-stop weekly shop,” explained Mark Etherington, managing director of the multi award-winning company.

Etherington’s Butchery Academy, Cornwall’s first bespoke butchery school, was launched in 2013 and earlier this year won the Entrepreneur & New Business Commitment to Training category at the Excellence in Business Training Awards.

Etherington’s also clinched the Best Butcher of the Year category at the 2013 Cornwall Life Food and Drink Awards, while Mark Etherington was crowned Business Leader of the Year in the 2013 Cornish Business Awards.

Mr Etherington said: “We are thrilled with the success of Etherington’s Farm Shop, which continues to go from strength to strength, with more and more fantastic Cornish suppliers wanting to get involved. By supporting them, we are in turn providing a valuable boost to both the local and regional economy.

“The farm shop’s future looks bright and we regard it as a real achievement and an integral part of our continuing evolution to be accepted by the Q Guild. Being a member is already proving invaluable, as we are able see what other leading butchers across the nation are doing to improve their businesses and also tap into expert help and advice. We are learning a great deal.”