Team GB pipped to victory in the ultimate butchers challenge

The victors hosted this year’s tournament, the culmination of a five-day study tour which ended with the contest, held at Shed 10 in Auckland. The task facing the three six-man teams, from Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain, was not only to expertly butcher the meat, but also to create an innovative display using creative cuts.

With just three hours on the clock, Team GB had to turn a side of beef, pork and a whole lamb into 50 value-added cuts to produce a world-class display based around a typically English theme, the much-loved English tea party.

This year’s team was selected after a nomination and trial process, which saw more than 20 applicants from around the country come to the IFE in London to compete for a place.

David Lishman, team captain, said: “I am very proud to have captained Team GB in this latest Tri-Nations Butchers Challenge. We performed extremely well and I thought we had done enough to lift the trophy this year, but sadly we were pipped at the post.

“The study tour and the meeting with other like-minded butchers from the Southern hemisphere was a great opportunity to exchange ideas and knowledge. I feel I have returned a wiser butcher, with many great and new products that I shall be trying out in our counters. Our sincere thanks go out to our sponsors who, without their help, we would have not been able to make the journey.”

Laura Ryan, head of strategic marketing at AHDB beef lamb, said: “We at AHDB Beef Lamb are so proud of this year’s team. They came together and hit the ground running in picking, crafting and perfecting a quintessentially English theme.

"They worked long and hard in ensuring they each worked to their specialist skill set but still collaborated as a team. The excellent study tour the team took part in showed how important the competition is in sharing good practice and showcasing the profession to the next generation of butchers. I hope the contest has shown the younger generation what a highly skilled and diverse industry butchery really is. Butchery in this country has a rich heritage and we need to ensure it continues to develop and evolve through encouraging younger talent into the trade.”