The 390kg carcase (670kg liveweight), which classified O+4H and killed out at 58.2%, was from a steer consigned by Sandy Fordyce, and his son, also Sandy, who run a herd of 70 Aberdeen-Angus cross suckler cows and a pedigree herd of 20 cows, at Bridgefoot, Kemnay, Inverurie, Aberdeenshire.

The steer was sired by their stock bull, Eastfield Justis Eric Y263, which was purchased for 8300gns at the Fordafourie dispersal sale. The Fordyce’s previously won the overall championship in 2000 and they also took the Aberdeen-Angus championship in both 2007 and 2008.

“The steer was fed naturally on silage, home-grown barley and a little hay,” said Mr Fordyce, Jun. “I was disappointed in the grade. We were penalised for fat cover but it is the fat which gives beef flavour and succulence. Grading takes no account of eating quality. Fortunately, the judge took a different view to the graders.”

The judge, Katrina Farquhar, a butcher for 23 years with award-winning butchers, Sheridans of Ballater, Aberdeenshire, whose clientele includes the Queen when the Royal family is at Balmoral, said the champion was an excellent carcase, not too big with just the right amount of fat cover to ensure superb eating quality.

“It is the ideal butcher’s carcase,” she said. “Too many carcases are too big these days which means you finish up with steaks which have to be too thinly cut to be affordable to the customer and the don’t eat well.”

The pure-bred Aberdeen-Angus championship was won by another Aberdeenshire exhibitor, William Lawson, owner of the old-established Scotsmill herd at Tullynessle, Alford.

His winner was a two year old home-bred steer by Tonley King George E293, a former Perth October sale junior champion, which tipped the scales at 575kg and classified R4L. Mr Lawson runs a suckler herd of 100 Aberdeen-Angus cross cows and 30 pedigree cows with all calves finished on the farm.

The Lawson family’s last big success at what was then known as the Scottish National Fatstock Show was away back in 1897 when a Scotsmill-bred heifer, Scottish Queen, won the championship and went on to win the reserve supreme championship at the Royal Smithfield Show in London.

The award for the best group of 10 Aberdeen-Angus steers was won by John and Marion Tilson, and daughter, Wanda, with entries from their Wedderlie herd at Gordon, Berwickshire.

The competition is based on management and performance on the farm as well as carcase quality and the eating quality of the beef.

All 22 farms taking part were assessed by the judge, former Royal Highland Show chairman and large-scale cattle feeder, Sandy Brown, Reidhall, Edzell, Angus, and beef from the carcases was sampled by an expert eating panel at Scotbeef.

“This is quite an award to win and we are delighted to have come out top,” said Mr Tilson, a former president of the Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society.

Second place went to another Borders farming family, Graeme and Douglas Stewart, Fans, Earlston, Berwickshire, with third place going to G and K Smith, Ormiston Mains.