Scottish Craft Butchers Trade Fair welcomes ‘Butchers Wars’ competition
Talented butchers will go to war in Perth this weekend as they battle it out in what organisers describe as the Scottish meat industry’s most fiercely contested competition.
Butcher Wars – the theatrical challenge of a country’s butchers – is a concept imported from Australia and the showdown at this Sunday’s Scottish Craft Butchers Trade Fair (14th May) will be the second time Scotland has staged the event.
Some of Britain’s top talent from Aberdeenshire to Lincolnshire will face-off at Dewars Centre in a singles and pairs championship offering an outstanding display of butchery skills.
Scottish Craft Butchers president George Jarron said the spectacle would be a highlight of the day: “We are going to see some of the country’s finest butchers in action. To witness talented individuals at the top of their game displaying their skills is something that will leave a lasting impression on all those involved in the industry.
“The stage is set for a show which, I’m sure, will thrill both judges and audience alike.”
Butcher Wars, which first showcased in Scotland in 2019, is now a mainstay of Scottish Craft Butchers’ biennial Trade Fair, although the Covid pandemic prevented the event taking place in 2021.
Competitors will be given 45 minutes to break down a half lamb (sponsored by Quality Meat Scotland) and a half saddle of pork (sponsored by Robertsons of Ardrossan) to create a show-stopping counter display. Butchers will be judged on a raft of criteria including their appearance, butchery skills, food safety, creativity, wastage, health and safety and their final display.
Other key elements to Sunday’s Fair will include the first-ever Haggis World Championship, the Pork Sausage Championship, the Scottish Sausage Linking Challenge and the presentation of Craft Skills Scotland meat industry achievement awards and product evaluation awards.
“It’s the butchers’ big day out,” explained George Jarron. “A day when butchers from all corners of the country – mainland and islands – gather to exchange views and discuss the issues of the day. We will welcome hundreds of the industry’s key decision makers and independent butchers to Perth on Sunday, and there will be something for everyone to enjoy.
“Scotland’s independent butchers remain at the heart of our communities having re-established themselves as crucial suppliers during the Covid years,” added George, “but the industry faces challenging times now – as do all businesses. But Scotland is still a meat-eating nation, and our local independent butchers remain at the heart of supplying high quality products prepared by experts.”
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