New Zealand’s butchery team has successfully defended their title at the 2014 Tri-Nations Butchers’ Challenge in a closely-fought contest of skill and speed.
The annual competition took place on British soil for the first time at the Great Yorkshire Show on July 10th, and saw teams of six of the best butchers from Britain, New Zealand and Australia tackle a side of beef and whole lamb carcase over two hours. The task was not only to expertly butcher the meat, but also to create an innovative display using creative cuts.
The standard was high and crowds turned up in droves to see the experts at work. Each team adopted a theme for their display with Australia opting for a modern twist on classic butchery, Britain creating a haunted moors setting and New Zealand giving their display a royal theme.
The competition was judged by a panel made up of representatives from each of the three nations and hosted by Brindon Addy, National Chair of the Guild of Q Butchers. There was little time for the teams to sit back and admire their handiwork as they were soon on a train to London to attend the Supermeat and Fish Awards at the Park Lane Hilton Hotel, where the winner was announced and the prize was presented by Myleene Klass.
Nick Allen, EBLEX sector director, introduced the award and in doing so highlighted some of the many benefits that the competition offered, alongside the bragging rights! He said:
“The Tri-Nations Butchers’ Challenge is a test of skill, innovation and speed in butchery techniques. It recognises the highest level of talent in this sector, while encouraging the sharing of best practice and encouraging the next generation of butchers into the profession.
“We operate in a global marketplace. On paper, we are competing for sales but we all want the trade to grow, where possible, and to ensure that people across the world maintain the meat-eating habit.”
The competition followed a week-long study tour which was organised by EBLEX and gave the antipodean visitors a detailed insight into the host country’s beef and lamb trade. During the tour the butchers visited an English beef and lamb producing farm, a range of retail outlets including some top butcher’s shops and London’s Smithfield Market.
New Zealand also won the 2013 competition, when they were the host nation. Plans are already in place for the 2015 competition which is set to take place in Australia. To get a flavour of the competition check out the short EBLEX video journal from the day here.
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.
