Salar Salmon win top food awards

The winners " were announced at a presentation ceremony and dinner in Glasgow's Kelvingrove attended by Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment Mr Richard Lochhead and more than 300 leading figures from the food and drink industry.Mr Lochhead said: "These awards are a welcome opportunity to showcase our world-class, mouthwatering produce, and in Homecoming Year what better time to be spreading the message that Scotland truly is a land of food and drink."We will shortly unveil the next stages of Scotland's first-ever National Food and Drink Policy. It will aim to boost business, put even more Scottish food on consumers' plates and deliver major health and environmental benefits."The 2009 Excellence Award is the latest in a host of awards for Salar's Flaky Smoked Salmon which also won the Fish and Seafood category.Using Loch Duart salmon fillets, the company's unique process involves smoking to a very high temperature over seasoned oak, producing a brown outer smoky layer, but with the flesh still salmon pink and succulent.Salar's salmon is available in selected supermarkets, food halls and delis and is now being exported to five countries.Paul McLaughlin, chief executive of Scotland Food & Drink, said: "These awards go from strength to strength and are a true measure of the excellence that abounds in our industry."We are keen to get the message across that Scotland is a land of food and drink which excels on quality and innovation. Our 2009 winners exemplify that message."Gareth Baird, RHASS director with responsibility for food and drink, added: "Scotland's success in food hinges on the collaborative effort between primary producer, processor and retailer."I am particularly encouraged this year by the number of companies at the primary end of the chain which have taken their businesses a step further to achieve success."