The Institute of Meat (IOM) and The Meat Training Council's (MTC) award ceremony at Butchers' Hall was attended by The Princess Royal, who handed out special awards, MTC Master Butcher Accreditations and Institute of Meat fellowships to individuals for their outstanding contributions to the industry.
Chief executive of the IOM, Keith Fisher hosted the event and said: "This award ceremony is all about acknowledging the achievements of people in our industry right across the spectrum, from the young who have worked and studied hard on behalf of themselves and their employers to the more experienced who have demonstrated excellent butchery skills and those who have made outstanding contributions to our industry.
"The Institute of Meat is the professional body for people in the meat industry. In addition to encouraging and helping fund education and training in the meat industry we have a role as a forum for like-minded people to exchange ideas and gain a wider appreciation of the meat industry – even more important in light of the scrutiny we've been under with the ongoing horse meat situation. Our aim is to further a greater understanding of all aspects of the meat industry as well as the wider supply chain from farming through processing, manufacturing, the foodservice sector and retailing.
"These awards are part of that process. We want those winners at the start of their careers to be able to see what those with more experienced have and can achieve and what we hope they will aspire to in their futures. All to the good of what is a great industry that has so much we can be proud of.
Meat Management's new sister title, Food Management Today, which launches in April sponsored the Best Student Driving Food Manufacturing Excellence Award, which was won by Wayne Clark.
A fuller report on the event will appear in the March issue of Meat Management. To learn more about The Institute of Meat and how you can get involved click here.
The award winners were:
Best Student in Food Industry: Ben McTaggart (Theos Food Company)
Best Student in Retail Butchery: Craig Cutler (Walter Smith)
Best Student in Poultry Industry: Timothy Bullett (Gressingham Foods)
Best Student in Meat Industry: Harriet Clutsom (Woburn Country Foods)
Best Meat Apprentice: Joshua Brown (Essington Farm)
Best Student for the Management Award: Michael Currie (Dunbia)
Best Student Driving Food Manufacturing Excellence: Wayne Clark (DP Packaging)
Outstanding Meat Learner of the Year: Craig Stevens (Sharnfold Farm and Shop)
Best Food Apprentice: James Barker (local farm shop)
Outstanding Food Learner of the Year: Kyle Mottram (Keelham Hall Farm Shop)
Best Company Training Scheme: Walter Smith Fine Foods Ltd
Lord Graham Endeavour AwardBenjamin Peel (Taylors Farm)
The Meat Training Council (MTC) also awarded John Mettrick (JW Mettick & Sons) Andrew Rook (AC Rook) and Alex Rowan (Sandyford Foods) as Accredited Master Butchers.
The Institute of Meat also awarded fellowships to Alan Healy (Aubrey Allen), Roy Hibbin (Meat Trade Consultant) and John Proctor (MTC chairman). These are awarded by the Institute’s committee and are a public acknowledgement of an individual’s contribution to the industry.
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.
