HRH The Princess Royal was guest of honour and presented the Awards at yesterday’s IoM / WCB annual prize-giving held at Painters’ Hall, London.
In a tradition dating back over quarter of a century, the Institute of Meat (IoM) and Worshipful Company of Butchers (WCB) awarded the achievements of apprentices, employers and training providers at their annual prize-giving event.
HRH The Princess Royal, is a Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Butchers and a Fellow of the Institute of Meat. She joined with over a hundred guests who attended the prize-giving. Twelve category winners were presented with their awards by The Princess Royal together with Institute of Meat Chief Executive Keith Fisher and, for the Master Butcher Awards, Chairman of the IoM Bill Jermey.
The awards and winners were:
| AWARD | SPONSOR | WINNERS |
| Best New Apprentice | Seymour Manufacturing International Ltd | Rosie Masters - Lydd Butchers |
| Best Retail Butchery |
ApprenticeNational Craft ButchersRobert Smith - Walter Smith Fine FoodsBest Independent Retailer Meat ApprenticePaul Edkins Memorial Cup
Worshipful Company of ButchersSally Capstick - Drake & Macefield ButchersBest Multiple Retailer Butchery
ApprenticeSealed Air LtdDan Turner - MorrisonsBest Meat Processing
ApprenticeOakfield (Foods) LtdJack White - Cranswick Country FoodsBest Abattoir Worker /
ApprenticeWindsor Food Machinery LtdJonathan Seville - John Mettricks ButchersBest Poultry ApprenticePoulters’ CompanyEva Szabo - Avara FoodsBest Meat Apprentice Showing Real
Management PotentialKenneth Jenkins Challenge Cup Worshipful Company of ButchersJoseph O’Sullivan - Booker GroupLord Graham Endeavour
AwardFood ManufactureSamuel Newey - ABP Food GroupBest Company Training
SchemeFred Mallion Bowl
Institute of MeatABP UK Talent AcademyBest Meat Training Provider
of the YearWorshipful Company
of ButchersMEAT Ipswich LtdChampion Meat Apprentice
of the YearMeat Management MagazineJack White - Cranswick Country Foods
The overall winner, the ‘Champion Meat Apprentice of the Year’, chosen from the individual categories, was Jack White, from Cranswick Country Foods. He receives a winner’s trophy and certificate, a year’s free membership of the IoM and an additional cash prize of £500.
The category had previously been sponsored by AHDB who this year declined the invitation to participate, and Meat Management magazine stepped in as sponsor and has already confirmed its ongoing participation for 2020.
Commenting on this year’s prize-giving Keith Fisher said: “These awards are always a special occasion, in that we are safe-guarding the future of the meat industry. Many of the recipients of today’s awards will go on to become the next generation of meat industry leaders.”
Managing Editor and Publisher of Meat Management magazine Graham Yandell added: “We have been involved with these Awards for many years and when we heard that AHDB had dropped out, we were only to pleased to step in to support the Champion Meat Apprentice of the Year category. It was also a pleasure to meet The Princess Royal one again, who continues to show her support for our industry.”
In addition to the winners above, seven experienced butchers who had met the Institute of Meat’s rigorous criteria were awarded IoM accredited Master Butcher status, MB.Inst.M. They are:
David Corbett, Josh Douglas, Peter Horton, Simon Hoyland, Timothy Rowe, Jon Rae and Tony De Sousa.
De Sousa and Rae became the first South African butchers to be recognised in this way by the IoM and travelled from South Africa for the ceremony.
For more information about the prize-giving, or how to nominate an apprentice, contact Keith Fisher at the Institute of Meat: info@instituteofmeat.org
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.
