A FAMILY-RUN business that specialises in offering niche meat products has won a place on the supermarket shelf.

Taste Tradition Ltd, which was founded by mother and son Joyce and Charles Ashbridge in 2004, specialises in rare breed lamb, beef and pork.

It usually supplies restaurants, local butchers and private customers but since December, four of its products have been stocked by Waitrose.

They are its dry-cured bacon, smoked dry-cured bacon, pork sausages and unique Yorkshire sausages, which are flavoured with ginger, mace and nutmeg.

The contact with Waitrose came about after Becky Boyes, deliciouslyorkshire’s trade development account manager, introduced the firm’s director, James Wright, to the supermarket’s regional buyer, Tracy Marshall.

Mr Wright said: “It is a wonderful way to get our products to the general public, as people are always asking restaurants where they can buy our produce.

“We never wanted to chase big supermarket contracts. We supply a niche market and support local retailers, but deliciouslyorkshire introduced us to Waitrose and we jumped at the chance.”

The business has taken on an extra worker to cope with the increased demand and is thinking of creating a small range of pates aimed at the retail and food service sectors.

The Ashbridges started the business on their farm above Sutton Bank at Cold Kirby, near Thirsk. They opened a farm shop, and now also have a unit on Thirsk industrial estate.

Mr Wright said: “The deliciouslyorkshire team have been great. It is very beneficial to work with them. Out of our membership has come our biggest contract yet, so it’s been well worth it.”