COUNTY Durham butcher Harry Coates has been on a mission very deer to his heart.

He recently visited the Queen's Balmoral Estate in Scotland, from where H Coates & Son Butchers has been obtaining venison for the past three years for its steaks, joints or diced venison, along with the business's award-winning Balmoral Burgers.

The meat is available all year at the main Framwellgate Moor shop and can be ordered at their Coxhoe and Trimdon outlets.

The recent visit was one of Mr Coates' regular fact-finding visits to suppliers to check on the quality of the meat products. "With Balmoral Venison, our customers can rest assured that they are consuming products by Royal Appointment!" said Mr Coates.

He and Ivan Lowther, his shop manager in Coxhoe, also visited the Scotch Premier Meat processing plant at Inverurie in Aberdeenshire, from where the business now gets all its beef, along with Highland lamb and pork.

The pair were given a conducted tour of the production plant, followed by visits to a local auction mart and a farm at Dibble, near Inverness, home of Scotch Premier supplier Iain Brown.

"We were really impressed by the facilities. Everything was pristine," said Mr Lowther.