Dunfermline Athletic

2011 MEAT SKILLS SCOTLAND COMPETITION

Two Scottish butchers have shown their meat mettle by beating off stiff competition to scoop the Scotch Butchers Club Meat Skills Scotland Championship title.




The Final of the 2011 Meat Skills Competition took place at the “Scottish Meat Trade Fair 2011” in the Dewars Centre, Perth on Sunday 8th May 2011, the Under 22 Category will commenced at 9.00am and the Over 22 Category at 12.30pm. Both finals lasted 2½ hours.




Uel Morton, Chief Executive of Quality Meat Scotland presenting Gary Raeburn of Forbes Raeburn & Sons in Huntly with the trophy for the Scottish Butcher of the Year 2011

Butchers from throughout Scotland gathered in Perth on Sunday, 8th May to showcase the skills and craftsmanship for which their trade is renowned.

Gary Raeburn, of Forbes Raeburn and Sons in Huntly, Aberdeenshire triumphed in the “Over 22” category to win the Scottish Butcher of the Year title. Murray Jamieson, of Bruce Brymer Butchers in Brechin, emerged as the Young Butcher of the Year picking up the “Under 22” prize.

Supported by the Scotch Butchers Club, which is run by Quality Meat Scotland, the Meat Skills Championship is held every second year to seek out the most skilled and creative butchers in Scotland.

Around 500 people attended the event and enjoyed the opportunity to watch some of Scotland’s finest butchers at work in a competitive environment.

Uel Morton, Quality Meat Scotland’s Chief Executive, said he was very impressed with the standard of the skills showcased at the event.

“It is particularly encouraging to see the standard being set by young people choosing to make careers in the butcher’s trade and the pride they take in seeking to develop both traditional skills and innovate new products.

“The specialist knowledge and ability of our butchers underpins a wonderful creative flair which is resulting in an enticing range of new serving ideas being presented by the industry.

“Consumers visiting their local butcher will find staff a font of knowledge, including practical advice on meat cooking and preparation tips. Those who have not visited their butchers shop for a while will be surprised by the wide range of products now available,” said Mr Morton.

Scottish Meat Training, the event organiser, is committed to the training and development of people engaged within the Scottish meat industry. In pursuit of this goal it organises the event to give butchers the opportunity and experience of developing their skills and assist the reputation of their employer’s business.

Douglas Scott, Chief Executive of Scottish Meat Training explained: “Using their acquired skills in a competitive environment gives young butchers a chance to demonstrate how much they have learned and measure themselves against their fellow competitors.”

Past winners have travelled to other Meat Skills events in Manchester, London, France and Ireland and, for new Scottish Butcher of the Year, Gary Raeburn, the travelling started the following weekend when he represented Scotland in a Four Nations Meat Skills challenge in Shrewsbury.

The finalists were as follows:

Over 22 Category:
Gary Raeburn, Forbes Raeburn & Sons, Huntly
Darren Brown, Simon Howie, Auchterarder
Richard Megahy, Simon Howie, Perth
Aaron Taylor, Simon Howie, Perth

Under 22 Category
Murray Jamieson, Bruce Brymer, Brechin
Neil Anderson, Stuart Grant Butchers, Grantown on Spey
Billy Holding, Hendersons, Hamilton
Gareth McDonald. MacDonald Bros, Pitlochry




Uel Morton, Chief Executive of Quality Meat Scotland presenting Murray Jamieson of Bruce Brymer`s in Brechin is presented with the trophy for the Scottish Young Butcher of the Year.

Over 22 Finalists worked on:-
One Shoulder of Pork (cut between third and fourth rib)
One Saddle of Lamb (cut between 5th and 6th, chump off.)
Thick Flank of Beef (approx weight 6 kilos)
.

Under 22 Finalists worked on:-
One Shoulder of Lamb (cut between 5th and 6th rib, shank down)
One Pork Loin and Belly (uncut)
Thick Flank of Beef (approx weight 6 kilos)

38 entered the 2011 competition spanning the whole of Scotland from the Border to the Western Isles. Yet again the standard was very high and the judges, George Lees and Stewart Dempsie, were given a mighty task to separate the best four in each age group to through to the Finals.

Competition Rules

Eligible to take part are butchers (m/f) working in businesses in membership Scottish Federation of Meat Traders Associations or undertaking formal training with Scottish Meat Training (SMT).

Competitors must agree to abide by all the rules and judges` decisions. These decisions are final and no discussion or correspondence will be entered into.

Best practice in health and safety and hygiene should be portrayed. Protective apron, glove, gauntlet and footwear must be worn. The apron must be of a size to adequately protect chest, abdomen and upper leg. Participants will not be allowed to enter the competition on the day without safety equipment. Appropriate headwear must be worn.

Competitors must supply all their own equipment, including knives, saw, cleaver, safety equipment (minimum chain mail apron and glove as specified above), skewers, twine, etc. A mincer and slicer will be provided on the day.
Meat to be worked on will be supplied.

When manufacturing value-added products, competitors must provide their own seasonings, spices, marinades, fruit, vegetables, garnishing, etc. Small quantities of additional and pre-prepared meat products can be used e.g. haggis, black pudding, bacon and sausagemeat.

Competitors must supply their own meat trays, plates, salvers, bowls, or other items on which their meat cuts and finished products will be displayed.

Competitors may supply and use additional non-food decorative materials or ‘props’ to enhance their display as long as they are food safe and comply with hygiene best practices. The meat props must be used within the display area of 1250mm x 680mm allowed for each competitor.

Entrants will provide ticketing to merchandise their display. Ticketing will carry the following information – product name, product price, legal meat declaration.

The only persons admitted to the Competition Area during the Competition are the chairperson of the Judging Panel, the members of the Judges, the competitors, and other persons responsible for the organisation of the Competition, on the day. No-one else may be present on the Competition area without the consent of the chairperson of the Judges.

It is the entrants’ responsibility to ensure all equipment and surfaces used are cleaned to the appropriate standard.

All competitors must agree to participate in promoting and reporting the competitions and to the use of their personal details for those purposes. Time away from work to take part in the competition is not a cost on SMT.

Assessment criteria is shown on the attached judging sheet. All judging sheets remain the property of SMT. It is Scottish Meat Training’s responsibility to remove all meat products from the judging venue.

Failure to adhere to any of the above rules may disqualify a competitor.




PICTURES FROM MEAT SKILLS FINAL 2011



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