A LEADING catering butcher is celebrating its tenth anniversary by teaming up with a local brewery.

Yorkshire Dales Meat Company asked Wensleydale Brewery to send bottles of specially brewed beer to chefs as a way of saying thank you for their loyalty.

Stephen Knox family founded the company in 2004 out of frustration at the poor cattle prices and as a way of controlling and marketing his own product at a problematic time for the beef industry.

It has since become one of the most respected catering butchers in the North of England and last year saw turnover increase by 31 per cent and sales in Asda rise by 20 per cent as consumers seek meat from trusted sources since the horsemeat scandal.

Today the company employs more than 25 at its base near Bedale and, as well as supermarkets, supplies some of the best restaurants, hotels and event venues in the North.

James Knox, financial director, said: “It’s fantastic to be able to celebrate ten years in business. We’re able to do so because of our continuing commitment to quality, high provenance, flexible service and expertise, but we also know we wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the loyalty shown to us by a core of chefs and businesses, so we just wanted to say thank you by buying them a drink.”

Stephen Knox, managing director, said: “Our family’s been farming in Wensleydale for more than a century. We thought partnering with our fantastic local brewery to create a celebration ale would be a great way to both mark our 10-year anniversary and showcase some of what our area has to offer besides great meat and cheese.”