The contestants who have entered so far for the second European Butchery Trophy come from England, Ireland, Switzerland, Belgium and France.
On the day, eight pairs of butchers and apprentices (from the Rhone-Alps region) who have not previously met will be formed to take part in a 4-hour contest. Each pair will tackle four tests: deboning, trimming, tying and dressing.
The work must be performed entirely on the spot.
The pieces of beef, veal and lamb must have a completely edible decoration suited to the way in which they are to be cooked. Each piece must be suitable for selling, cooking and eating with its decoration.
The European Butchery Trophy, held in Lyon, France recently saw Martin Crombie and Michael Perkins of Aubrey Allen finish in fourth place, putting England ahead of four other European entries including Ireland and Belgium.
The competition with its theme of ‘Meat in a Decorative Setting’ took place over a four hour time frame and involved preparing and presenting a specified range of cuts from half a lamb, a veal rack, forequarter and flank, and a beef rump on the bone. In addition the Aubrey Allen duo had to bring a cooked sample of the 5-rib rack of veal for the judges to taste.
The judges including a panel of Masters Butchers and several Meilleurs Ouvriers de France marked each cut; the overall creativity and decorative presentation; and the commercial factors and profitability values.
Russell Allen, managing director of Aubrey Allen, said: “It was a terrific honour to represent England and both Martin and Michael performed brilliantly under enormous pressure. It is a fantastic achievement to come fourth and is a real fillip to our customers and everyone who works at our Leamington Spa shop and Coventry operation to know that we are one of the best butchers in Europe.
“This was the first time we had been asked to take part in the competition and the whole experience was extremely beneficial. Our goal for the next competition would be for England to finish in the top three”.
