Stephanie Craig (Bonnybridge), Finalist UK Young Butcher of the Year 2008
Young Butcher of the Year - Finalist Young Butcher of the Year - Finalist
Stephanie Craig of Pauls Quality Butchers in Bonnybridge, made the trip to London on Tuesday 18th November as one of the top five in the National Young Butcher of the Year competition. The nineteen year old from Cumbernauld received her accolade in the glitzy presentation lunch held in the Sheraton Park Lane Hotel in Piccadilly.
Stephanie turned her back on a career in reflexology after picking up the butchery bug while helping out her dad at Christmas time. She quickly proved her worth and now manages an outlet of Pauls Quality Butchers in Bonnybridge.
Speaking after the ceremony Stephanie�s boss Paul Conway, himself a winner of the Scottish Butchers Shop of the Year at last year�s awards, explained how the youngster had started out helping at Christmas and then as a Saturday girl.
�Her father was the manager of my Kilsyth shop was very interested. Although still very young she did not feel that she had a place within the butchers because she was just serving. But I believed in her, I could see that she had a passion and inner belief that she could definitely do more than just serve the counter.
�Her skills for displays are probably the best within the company. She has an eye for perfection � all the sirloins are plated perfectly, nothing is slap and dash.�
Pauls Quality Butchers operate shops in Kilsyth and Grangemouth as well as the Bonnybridge shop where Stephanie is now the manageress.
�The fact that when a 55 year old man with a vast amount of experience who was running the shop left through ill health, Stephanie took over the reins. She has improved the shop leaps and bounds. We have a staff of 30 in Pauls Quality Butchers, a lot of them are young, a lot are male but by giving her the title of manager of a shop that is doing very well, obviously opened the field for all the youngsters to realise that young and gender is not going to matter in the company.
�A lot of women have risen to the challenge saying �we can make it within the company�. Ultimately Stephanie buys into the Pauls Quality Butchers ethos � it is not just about Stephanie � it�s about Pauls Quality Butchers. If I can get more of that in the company it will stand it in good stead for the future.�
