Bradwell butcher shines in Q Guild Smithfield Awards

Bradwell Butchery, of Crab Lane, Bradwell, near Great Yarmouth, landed nine awards, for their Norfolk Mardler Speciality Sausage, Cracked Black Pepper Sausage, Chimmy-Churry Cheese Melts Burger, Free Range Smoked Back Bacon, Free Range Beer & Black Treacle Bacon, Steak & Kidney Suet Pudding, Norfolk Knobbler Cold Eating Pie, Chicken Crown Roast and Shepherd’s Pie ready meal.

The products are all firm favourites among customers and range from long-standing dishes such as the Chicken Crown Roast, made with sausage meat and streaky bacon, and the Norfolk Knobbler Cold Eating Pie, made from free local range pork, to the relatively new product, Steak & Kidney Suet Pudding.

The Smithfield Awards, the 29th year they have been staged, were open to all Q Guild members UK-wide and this year attracted a record entry of 472 individual products across nine categories from 56 Q butchers – more than half the national membership – were submitted this year.

All were judged by independent panels of food and meat industry experts. The measure of quality was indicated when nine products received top-rated diamond awards, 221 products clinched gold – representing 51% of the total entry – while 113 silver and 72 bronze awards were also handed out.

Trophies and certificates were presented by Monica Galetti, one of the best-known female chefs in London and presenter and judge on BBC2’s MasterChef: The Professionals, at a ceremony at Ironmongers Hall, London. (Thus, Nov 19).

Smithfield Awards Bradwell Butchery presentation

She told the gathered butchers: “I would like to thank the Q Guild for having me as a guest here – what an honour. In the industry I’m in, I have a lot to do with you and what you do. What I’ve witnessed here is the passion and the drive for what you do. What you do is important for the future – to protect what you do.

“These awards attract the younger generation into the industry and that’s what we need. I believe we need to support you as restaurateurs. My restaurant will be open this time next year, touch wood – please, give me your business cards! I will be looking for butchers.”

She revealed that her restaurant will be on Charlotte Street, London, and named Mere after her mother.

Q Guild national chairman, Alnwick butcher Mark Turnbull, said: “The Smithfield Awards remain one of the most demanding and stringent product evaluation tests in the land and the esteem in which they are held is clearly demonstrated by the fact that this year has seen record entries from a record number of businesses.

“All products need to be at the very top of their game to stand a chance of success and nothing says ‘we’re the best’ like winning a Smithfield Award. They remain among the meat industry’s most esteemed accolades, not only motivating recipients to introduce even more successful products, but also providing ideas and inspiration to fellow Q Guild members across the nation.”

The 2015 Smithfield Awards were sponsored by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), which supports the English beef, lamb and pig meat sectors, Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC), Lucas Ingredients, Dalziel, The Scobie & Junor Group, Comark A Fluke Co, Hawk Systems, MRC and Innovative Food Ingredients.

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