The Culinary Association of Wales (CAW) has announced that Philip Tucker from Mumbles has won Welsh Craft Butcher of the Year.
Tucker, a butcher at Tuckers Butchers in Mumbles, was crowned Welsh Craft Butcher of the Year by judges at the Welsh International Culinary Championships (WICC) held at the International Convention Centre Wales (ICC Wales), Newport.
Awards were handed out by Rural Affairs Minister Lesley Griffiths at the WICC awards dinner on Wednesday 24th January.
"I wasn't expecting to win as I only started planning my display last Thursday and didn't have a dry run," said Tucker. "I did some innovative products but didn't manage to get everything done that I wanted to within the time limit. I was confident about my products but it was the finer details that might have let me down.
"To be honest, after going through our busiest time of the year at Christmas, this competition has been a really good incentive for me in a quiet January."
The competition runner-up and silver medallist was Ben Roberts, owner of Astley & Stratton Ltd, Farndon, near Chester, who launched his new shop in the week before the final.
Bronze medallist were Ieuan Hughes from Golden Valley Meat & Game, Grosmont, Abergavenny; Elis Morris from Daniel Morris Butchers, Mold; and Ieuan Pincott from Oriel Jones, Canton, Cardiff.
CAW described the competition as "a stepping stone" to the Craft Butchery Team Wales, which includes five former Welsh Butcher of the Year or Welsh Young Butcher of the Year winners.
Arwyn Watkins, OBE, CAW president and Cambrian Training Company's executive chairman, told guests at the awards dinner: "We brought butchery into the Culinary Association of Wales so that we could create the Craft Butchery Team Wales.
"Part of the Welsh Craft Butcher of the Year competition is talent spotting for the team as we prepare for the World Butcher Challenge 2025 in Paris."
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.
