The search to find England’s best steak products is now on by EBLEX which has three brand new competitions for 2015.
The competitions will form part of the first ever ‘EBLEX Quality Standard Mark Excellence Awards’. The awards were developed to recognise and reward quality, innovation and excellence in beef and lamb production.
The three competitions, which assess different aspects of quality steak production, are:
· ‘England’s Best Steak Pie 2015’
· ‘England’s Best Sirloin Steak 2015’
· ‘England’s Best Innovative Steak 2015’
Open to multiple retailers and their suppliers, independent retail butchers and farm shops, catering butchers and manufacturers supplying the foodservice industry, entrants can choose to enter into one, two or all three of the steak awards.
Awards organiser, foodservice project manager for EBLEX, Hugh Judd, said:“We created the ‘Quality Standard Mark Excellence Awards’ to encourage innovation, promote best practice and recognise those businesses that are leading the way in terms of quality and innovation in steak products. Beef and lamb steaks are top selling products in both the retail and foodservice industries and a core part of EBLEX’s product development work – so we think it’s time to celebrate the best!
“It costs nothing to enter but winning an award could make a real difference to sales, so don’t miss out on the chance to put your business on the map.”ENGLAND’S BEST STEAK PIE 2015
EBLEX’s search for England’s Best Steak Pie was first launched in 2011, it has run on alternate years ever since, making 2015 the third year of the competition.
In this competition, pies can be entered into one of two categories:
Foodservice open to:
· Independent pubs or restaurants based in England that make and serve pies on the premises.
· Foodservice groups (including contract caterers and pub or restaurant chains) based in England that serve pies in their establishments.
· Manufacturers/catering butchers that produce pies for sale in foodservice establishments based in England.
Retail open to:
• Independent retail butchers based in England that make and sell pies on the premises.
• Multiple retailers/manufacturers that produce pies for sale in multiple retail outlets based in England.
To participate in the competition, completed entry forms must be received by Friday 28 November 2014. After this date, EBLEX will contact all entrants and ask them to send in samples of their pie for testing by a panel of expert judges.
Those products that meet the standard will achieve either a gold, silver or bronze award. A winner will be chosen in each category and one of the category winners will be chosen as the Overall Winner, taking home the title ‘England’s Best Steak Pie’.
Both category winners will be invited to an awards ceremony which will take place in London on Wednesday 22 April 2015, when the Overall Winner will be announced.
ENGLAND’S BEST SIRLOIN STEAK 2015
Described by some as the ‘King of Steaks’, sirloin steak is a prime cut and a real favourite among consumers, thanks to its fine texture and rich marbling which give it a wonderful flavour and succulence.
As one of the most popular steaks, it’s important to get it consistently right to avoid disappointment among customers. That’s why EBLEX is keen to recognise and reward those businesses that go to extra lengths to get their sirloin steaks just right every time.
In this competition there are three categories for entry:
· Independent butcher
· Multiple retailer or manufacturer/supplier
· Catering butcher or foodservice operator/supplier
Any centre cut sirloin steak can be entered providing it has come from an assured supply chain and has been matured for a minimum of 14 days.
To participate in the competition, completed entry forms must be received by Friday 7th November 2014. EBLEX will then arrange to collect samples of the sirloin steaks entered for testing in both their raw and cooked formats.
Those products that meet the standard will achieve either a gold, silver or bronze award. A winner will be chosen in each category and one of the category winners will be chosen as the Overall Winner, taking home the title 'England's Best Sirloin Steak'.
All three category winners will be invited to an awards ceremony which will take place in London on Wednesday 22 April 2015, when the Overall Winner will be announced.ENGLAND’S BEST INNOVATIVE STEAK 2015
Innovation is the key in this competition but it’s up to entrants to decide whether to enter an innovative cut or a more traditional cut presented in an innovative way; using a stuffing, coating, rub or marinade, for example.
Entries will be accepted from any business operating in the retail or foodservice industry (retailers and foodservice operators or their manufacturers/suppliers).
To participate in the competition, completed entry forms must be received by Friday 7 November 2014. EBLEX will then arrange to collect samples of the Innovative Steaks entered for testing in both their raw and cooked formats.
All entries that meet the standard will receive a Gold Award and one of the Gold Award winning products will be chosen as the Overall Winner of the competition.
Entrants whose Gold Award winning products achieve the highest scores will be invited to attend an awards ceremony in London on 22 April 2015, when they will be presented with their award before the Overall Winner is announced.
Further information about all three competitions can be found at www.eblextrade.co.uk
Entry forms can be completed and submitted online or entrants can download and print the relevant form, fill in their details then post their completed form to the address indicated on the form.
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
