Midland Bacon, who supply via national brands such as Brakes, was one of four foodservice finalists to attend a special presentation luncheon in London on Monday, which also marked the official launch of Bacon Connoisseurs’ Week 2013.

BPEX’s butchery and product development manager, Keith Fisher, who led the awards judging, said: “All of the finalists had fantastic products that really demonstrated the superb standard of bacon production today and thoroughly deserve their awards.

"What the winners had in common is the use of quality pork combined with skilled curing and smoking methods to produce bacon that not only tastes magnificent but can be enjoyed throughout the day.”

Bacon is one of the most popular pig meat products in the catering sector - it is enjoyed by 70% of diners.

Bacon Connoisseurs’ Week will run until 24 March, to raise awareness for quality bacon and encourage people to look for marks of assurance, such as Red Tractor.