Popular Teesside Scotch Egg specialists win major National Award !
 
They’ve already tickled the tastebuds of local foodies and Royalty alike with their Gourmet Scotch Eggs.
 
And now David and Christine Laing of The Clucking Pig Company have been crowned ‘Best Game Farmers’ Market Stall’ at a glittering London ceremony at the prestigious Eat Game Awards last week. (Tues 9 Oct).
 
The Awards are an annual celebration of wild British produce, and the Teesside Scotch Egg specialists bagged the huge accolade after wowing the public with their range of Venison and Mixed Game best-sellers, including Pheasant, Wild Yorkshire Rabbit, Wood Pigeon and Partridge.
 
Public nominations had initially placed the popular Redcar couple firmly on a top-ten shortlist of foodies drawn from all over the UK, before a national public vote saw David & Christine emerge as clear winners at a London ceremony hosted by BBC Countryfile presenter Adam Henson and former JLS singer turned farmer JB Gill.
 
David and Christine are popular figures at a host of great foodie events across Teesside, the North East, Durham and North Yorkshire, including Saltburn Farmers’ Market, Saltburn Food Festival, Stokesley Farmers’ Market and Middlesbrough’s Orange Pip Market.
 
And they were even invited along to Buckingham Palace last year, where Prince Andrew, the Queen’s personal chef and assorted royal staff all enjoyed tucking into their hugely popular scotch eggs.
 
Now back at home after a whirlwind few days in London, David said: “It’s just a fantastic feeling to win this award, especially with the winners being decided directly by the public.
 
“We only use the best locally sourced game and free-range meat from trusted suppliers, and all our eggs are made right here in Redcar. So the award will now take pride of place on our stall for all to see – it truly is a case of The Mighty Redcar!”
 
Christine said: “We love meeting so many people at Markets right across the region – Saltburn, Stokesley, Orange Pip, The Festival of Thrift and lots more besides, and we’d like to thank all our customers who took the time to vote for us. The awards ceremony was an amazing night, Adam and JB were absolutely lovely, and we’re now looking forward to thanking everyone at all the various markets and events throughout the autumn.”
 
Please check out our latest achievements and the history of The Clucking Pig !
http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/grangetown-bobby-meeting-royalty-cracking-13104724 
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/what-happened-prince-took-fancy-13172753

By Jane Hall, Chronicle Live

You do believe David Laing when he says: “I never would have believed it in a million years!”

He’s referring to his homemade gourmet Scotch eggs impressing the Queen’s personal chef at Buckingham Palace.

It’s not an everyday occurrence. But then there’s been nothing ordinary about David and wife Christine’s route to BP, either.

The husband and wife team behind Marske-based The Clucking Pig Company temporarily swapped Teesside for Wearside earlier this year when they were invited to take part in a networking event at Sunderland University attended by Prince Andrew.

David recalls: “Prince Andrew spotted us at our stall, walked over and had a chat. Two days later he named us as his Entrepreneur of the Week and ordered some of our eggs to be delivered direct to his home for a dinner party in Windsor.”

As a result, David and Christine were asked to exhibit their gourmet snacks at an exposition running alongside a special Pitch@Palace 7.0 Boot Camp in Nottingham.

This is a UK-wide initiative set up in 2014 by Prince Andrew to guide entrepreneurs and connect them with potential supporters.
​
The Clucking Pig was one of a number of mainly Nottingham-based food and drink firms showcasing their wares for the 350 Pitch@Palace guests to sample...