Echoing a key theme of Nationwide Apprenticeships Week, the Institute of Meat (IoM) and Worshipful Firm of Butchers (WCB) Prizegiving this yr demonstrated how the meat trade is a welcoming place for all.
Over 100 friends gathered at Butchers’ Corridor in London on Thursday twenty eighth February to recognise the achievements of the profitable apprentices, their employers and coaching suppliers.
The apprentice class winners every acquired a cheque for £250, a framed certificates and a years free membership of the Institute of Meat.
Essentially the most prized apprentice award, Champion Meat Apprentice, sponsored by Meat Administration journal, was gained by Helena Akroyd of Craggies Farm Store, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire. Helena acquired a winner’s trophy and certificates, a years free membership of the IoM – plus a further money prize of £500.
IoM chief govt Keith Fisher, along with Grasp of the Worshipful Co, Chris Wooden, offered awards to the next class winners:
| AWARD | WINNER | EMPLOYER | SPONSOR | TRAINING PROVIDER |
| Finest New Apprentice | Joshua Robinson | Morrisons | Windsor Meals Equipment | Remit Coaching |
| Finest Retailer Butchery Apprentice | Helena Akroyd | Craggies Farm Store | Nationwide Craft Butchers | Leeds Metropolis School |
| Finest Impartial Retailer Meat Apprentice | Olivia Slack | Crich Butchers | Dalziel Ltd | MEAT Ipswich |
| Finest In-Retailer A number of Retailer Butchery Apprentice | Esther Sollis | Morrisons | IoM (Paul Edkins Memorial cup) | Remit Coaching |
| Finest Meat Processing Apprentice | Ana Marques | Gressingham Meals | British Meat Processors Affiliation | Workforce Coaching & Improvement |
| Finest Abattoir Employee Apprentice | Michaela Robinson | Cranswick Nation Meals | ABP Meals Group | Workforce Coaching & Improvement |
| Finest Apprentice Exhibiting Administration Potential in a Manufacturing Setting | Luke Hobson | Pilgrims UK | Worshipful Firm of Poulters | Bishop Burton |
| Finest Meat Apprentice Exhibiting Actual Administration Potential | Niall Hutchinson | Millets Farm Store | Oakfield Meals Ltd | MEAT Ipswich |
| Lord Graham Endeavour Award | Matt Axeford | Morrisons | IoM (Kenneth Jenkins cup) | Remit Coaching |
| Finest Firm Coaching Scheme | Kepak, Bodmin | IoM | Workforce Coaching & Improvement | |
| Finest Meat Coaching Supplier of the Yr | Workforce Coaching & Improvement | WCB (Fred Mallion Bowl) |
A brand new era of butchers making the craft their very own
Ladies made up over fifty p.c of the profitable apprentices, with two-thirds of the entire quantity over 25 years of age.
Commenting on the prizegiving, Keith Fisher stated: “After we launched the awards over 30 years in the past our intentions have been to offer formal recognition of butchery abilities and to maintain the craft of butchery alive. I’m proud to say that I believe we’ve performed our half in attaining far more than that. Not solely do now we have a brand new era of butchers respecting the normal craft of butchery, however one that’s making it their very own. Butchery is now a hotbed of innovation, a few of it pushed by the very individuals who have been recognised through the years at our prizegiving.
“It’s additionally changing into ‘cool’ to be a butcher, no matter your age, gender or background. Butchers are more and more being recognised as artisan craftspeople. Who’d have thought it?”
Along with the apprentice awards, seven achieved butchers have been additionally granted their Institute of Meat Grasp Butcher accreditation (MB.Inst.M).
These butchers acquired their IoM Grasp Butcher certificates of accreditation from Invoice Jermey, chairman of the IoM, who stated: “I’m delighted to see these proficient butchers be a part of the celebrated ranks of Institute of Meat Grasp Butchers. Yearly we obtain quite a lot of functions. Not all make it; the evaluation course of is by intention rigorous, so that they have accomplished very effectively certainly and are a credit score to the trade. They display actual mastery of the artwork, from area to fork.”
IoM accredited Grasp Butchers 2024
| Simon Taylor (MB.Inst.M) | Surrey Hills Butchers |
| Jason Hilliard (MB.Inst.M) | ABP Beef |
| Nicholas Davies (MB.Inst.M) | ABP Beef |
| Joseph O’Sullivan (MB.inst.M) | Booker Group |
| Steven Russell (MB.Inst.M) | Booker Group |
| Jason Robinson (MB.Inst.M) | Booker Group |
| Philip Turpin (MB.Inst.M) | Asda |
The ultimate award given on the day was to Danny Upson, retail butchery gross sales director, Dalziel Ltd, who was awarded a Fellowship of the Institute of Meat for providers to the meat trade.
For extra details about the prizegiving or how one can nominate an apprentice, please contact Sheryl Horne on the Institute of Meat: information@instituteofmeat.org
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