2011-06-09 18:48:22		BRITAIN'S BEST BUTCHER
Green's of Pangbourne was last night awarded the ultimate accolade - Britain's Best Butchers. The title is generally considered the most coveted in the UK's meat trade, as it is judged by industry professionals who demand the most exacting standards. Green's directors - Master Butcher Royston Hine and Master Chef Philip Cripps - received the award at a glittering function at London's Royal Garden Hotel from soccer legend Jimmy Greaves. "We accept this award as recognition for the hard work of our team and the attention to detail, service, and quality which permeates every aspect of our work day after day. "To receive such an accolade from fellow-professionals in our industry is most welcome. Alongside the thanks we regularly receive from customers and the comradeship we enjoy every day at work, it will go to make 2011 a very special year for Green's."

2011-04-05 13:36:54		String of wins for sausage supremo
Two tasty new sausages from Greens of Pangbourne have won Gold Awards at a South of England competition just a few days after they were first created! Greens' Christopher Cripps hit the jackpot with his newest bangers - Beef & Stilton and Lamb, Rosemary & Garlic - in a head-to-head contest against a score of specialist butchers from across the region. The same accolade was awarded to him for the famous Greens Pork Original Sausage - a free-range speciality, a receipe which was perfected by his grandfather Royston Hine. Said Christopher: "We were so pleased that a long-time pork favourite met with continued success along with two of our newest sausages which I'd only perfected the week before." The judges, independent and highly respected figures with long experience of the meat business, described the Lamb, Rosemary & Garlic banger as "the best lamb sausage we have ever tasted". Christopher took as his inspiration the classical marriage of the three flavours, and added his own special seasoning and other ingredients, to create such a winning taste and texture that it won the most prized gong of all - Best Product in Show. This means Christopher is once again Young Sausage Maker of the Year, a trophy he has won in three of the last four years. Christopher won another Gold for his Pork, Chili, & Apricot Sausage, and is now planning his entry into the national Champion of Champions competition later in the year. Greens also entered Home-Cured Bacon and a selection of their hand-made Pies into the competition, held at the South of England Showground in Sussex. Christopher's brother Michael took gold for three of his pies - Steak & Kidney; Steak & Stilton; and Ham & Chicken. Their Uncle Robert found equal success with his new Smoked Black Back Bacon, a delicious marinaded rasher, and his dry-cured Back Bacon using local free-range Pork. Greens of Pangbourne is a family business owned and run by Christopher and Michael's grandfather Master Butcher Royston Hine and their father, the French-trained chef Philip Cripps.

2010-11-11 13:41:32		CASH IN THE PAN
When a Pub of the Year and a Butcher's Shop of the Year join forces to raise money for charity it's bound to add up to something really special. And that's just how things turned out for the Beer & Sausage Sunday run by The Six Bells at Beenham with Green's of Pangbourne. 350 people attended; 450 artisan sausages consumed; 560 pints of five different real ales drunk; and - most importantly - £1,720 raised for Help For Heroes, the charity supporting British service people injured on active duty in Afghanistan and Iraq. A frying-pan full of cash was presented to the charity. In our picture, from left: Peter Davies, Help for Heroes Volunteer County Coordinator for Berkshire; Chris Harman and Glynis Snow, proprietors of The Six Bells; Philip Cripps and his son Christopher from Green's. Said Chris: "Help for Heroes is such a worthwhile charity we really felt we wanted to support it, and the idea of a Beer & Sausage Sunday developed from discussions we had with Philip - he supplies our hand-made sausages and said he would donate and cook a selection of his sausages for a Help for Heroes barbecue". Real ales from West Berkshire, Vale, Ringwood, Fullers, Arkells and Church End brewers were available alongside the artisan Green's sausages on the bbq. Family fun included face painting and a bouncy castle. The event was enlivened by an eight-piece live jazz band and an auction. Said Philip: "The atmosphere was great, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves; we had to work fast on the sausage barbecue grill to keep pace with demand. We were delighted to give the sausages and our time to such a good cause." The Six Bells was voted West Berkshire's Pub of the Year in 2008 by the Campaign for Real Ale, CAMRA, and has been mentioned in the Good Beer Guide for three years running. The restaurant has won mouthwatering reviews - "an experience to be savoured" was the verdict of the 2010 Food & Drink Guide. www.thesixbells.co.uk Green's won the accolade South of England Butcher's Shop of the Year in a national competition. The hand-made pies and 18-flavours of artisan sausages have been awarded a string of regional, national, and international prizes for quality. www.greensofpangbourne.com

2010-04-21 00:15:22		STRING OF WINS FOR SAUSAGE KING CHRISTOPHER
Christopher Cripps has confirmed his place as one of the nation's top sausage makers with a string of competition wins. He was crowned National Supreme Speciality Sausage Champion at the NEC in Birmingham on Sunday the 21st of March, then later that week his skills brought Gold Awards to Green's of Pangbourne at the South of England Showground in Sussex where the region's top butchers were vying for accolades. Christopher - third generation to work at the family firm in Whitchurch Road - has developed 18 styles of artisan sausage, all made by hand from free-range local pork and other fine ingredients. Winners at Ardingly were Pork Originals, Pork Cheddar & Spring Onion, and Spicy Lamb Sausage. Said Christopher: "I was taught to make sausages by my grandfather Royston Hine, and we stick to his traditional philosophy of using only premium quality meat. The Pork Original is my grandfather's original recipe; while the Pork Cheddar & Spring Onion is a new creation developed developed by my father and me. The Spicy Lamb sausage reflects the growing demand for new flavours, and it was a case of trial and error until I got it just right".

2009-12-06 21:34:17		'OSCAR' FOR GREEN'S
Green's of Pangbourne has scooped the ultimate accolade - Butcher's Shop of The Year 2009. After a demanding assessment by a panel of independent judges, the family firm was presented with the accolade at a London reception attended by England rugby legend Gareth Chilcott. The annual Shop of the Year competition is widely regarded as the Oscars of the butchery business. Only the best of the best reach the finals, and to win the title is greatly coveted. Green's - run by three generations of the same family - is now officially the best butcher's shop in the south of England. Judges considered a wide range of criteria in reaching their decision, including evidence on the quality and traceability of fresh meat - much of which comes from local farms with the highest standards of animal husbandry - staff training, hygiene, and levels of customer service. They visited the shop in Whitchurch Road to study the displays of meat and Green's extensive range of award-winning hand-made pies and pasties, 18 varieties of sausage, quiches and hams. They saw how Green's bacon is dry-cured using a secret recipe. All in all the analysis took several months. Green's is run by master butcher Royston Hine and his son-in-law Philip Cripps, an experienced chef who worked with the famous French cookery maestro Paul Bocuse. Philip's wife Caroline (nee Hine) is active in the business as are Royston's siblings Susan and Robert Hine. Royston's grandsons Christopher - already a champion sausage maker - and Michael are the latest to join the team. Said Royston: "This award is the ultimate, we are bowled over to have won. The skill and dedication of our team, combined with the support and enthusiasm of many loyal customers, encouraged us to enter - now we are delighted to have fulfilled their confidence". Green's is no stranger to competition success. Since Royston and Philip joined forces in 1990, regional, national and international trophies have rolled in for Green's meat and meat products. So what is their secret? Said Philip: "Our meat and poultry comes from nearby farms which we have known for many years, where quality stock is naturally fed on grass and not on reprocessed animal feeds or hormones. We then prepare everything by hand the traditional way, ensuring that only the best meat reaches our customers whether they are buying a joint for Sunday, a turkey for Christmas, or a pie for a snack lunch". With increased public concern over animal welfare and food-miles, Green's local free-range pork has proved a real winner. In recent months, Green's have expanded their range of kitchen-ready dishes, which make a cost-effective alternative to eating out without the hassle of spending hours preparing something special. Pictured: Royston (left) and Philip with their trophies.