Competition launched to inspire more female butchers
Parson’s Nose Butchers and Planet Eat Media are holding a contest to find a female butcher apprentice, who will also front a new TV series to “encourage young women to choose a career in butchery.”
Parson’s Nose said that the competition was part of their aim to “change perceptions” about the male-dominated sector. Tony Hindhaugh, co-owner of Parson’s Nose and director of Planet Eat Media added that he hoped the competition and following TV series will “take away the stigma that butchery is just for men.”
To enter the competition, applicants must be female and under 30 years old. Participants do not need previous experience in butchery, but they will need to have “a real obsession with getting more women into butchery.”
Applicants have been asked to make a two-minute video about why they are interested in butchery and what impact they could make on the industry. Shortlisted entrants will then be given the opportunity to follow the animal from the farm to the butcher’s shop, and to present a 10-minute segment on a TV show on butchery.
As an ambassador the winner will be invited to speak at events and in schools and colleges to encourage other women into the industry. In addition, £2,500 prize money and full media and communications training will also be supplied to the winning applicant.
Jessica Wragge, female butcher and one of the competition’s judges, said: “When I began my career in butchery in Derbyshire at 16, I was the only woman in an all-male butchery counter and it was at times intimidating, but I quickly fell in love with butchery – everything from farming, to slaughter, to the carcass balance and to breaking down the animals too.”
She added: “I’m pleased to support Parson’s Nose competition to find a new butcher ambassador and show the world that butchery can be an interesting and valued career for women with plenty of opportunities both on the block and further afield.”
For more information on the competition and how to enter, visit the Parson’s Nose website.
The annual initiative to recognise the immense contribution from women across the British meat industry is back in-person for 2021. The results of the 2021 Women in Meat Industry Awards will be announced at a prestigious black tie dinner to be held on 18th November at the Hilton London Metropole.
Full details of the event can be found at www.womeninmeatawards.com. Tables and tickets for November 18th can also be booked at the website.
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