PACKAGING designed and made by the Hampshire company Kevin Clarke & Company has helped the Scottish butcher Simon Howie scoop major awards in a food innovation competition.

The butcher adopted the Hampshire company's packaging for a new series of ready meals it introduced early last year.

But the Scottish company, already well known for providing excellent meat initially ran into problems with packaging when it switched to the Hampshire company's HotBox packaging.

"No matter how good the food is, if the packaging leaks or burns your hands when you take it out of the microwave, customers will not like it," explains Gary Conacher, partner in the firm.

"We were looking for something special in which to present our superior product to our customers. When we came across the HotBox it seemed our prayers were answered."

HotBox is manufactured by Kevin Clarke & Company at its thermoforming plant near Southampton. It is microwaveable and stays cool to the touch, keeping the food hot and perfectly sealed. In Simon Howie's consumer trials the product was much admired by customers who found it practical and time saving.

The firm entered its now microwaveable ready meals in a Scottish food innovation awards competition, which was judged by the Meat and Livestock Commission and walked away with two gold medals, for its ready-prepared beef stroganoff with rice and bangers and mash.

"I have no doubt," says Gary, "that it was the HotBox that tipped the balance in our winning the awards. Much of the judging is done from the customer's perspective. This is where the HotBox really helped us to show off our food."

Now the butchers are off to Holland to show the same products in the same packaging at an International Fresh Food Fair 2000.