WELSH CHAMPION TOMOS WINS GRAND SLAM BUTCHERY CONTEST

Tuesday 1st June 2011

A young butcher from the Swansea area has beaten rivals from England, Scotland and Ireland to win an international Grand Slam butchery contest.

Welsh Young Butcher of Year winner for the past two years, Tomos Hopkin, from Ponty Butchers, Pontardawe, proved a cut above the rest in the first ever Grand Slam butchery contest at Shropshire County Show in Shrewsbury.

Just a single point separated each place following a keenly contested competition, with Hopkin holding off the challenge of runner up Gary Raeburn from Scotland, Shropshire champion Andrew Brassington and Marc Tierney from Northern Ireland. Hopkins collected £150, Raeburn, from Forbes Raeburn butchers shop, Huntley, Aberdeenshire, £75, Brassington, from Ludlow Food Centre, £50 and Tierney, from Clogher Valleys Meats, Clogher, Co Tyrone, £25.

The competition was organised and supported by award-winning Welshpool-based training provider Cambrian Training Company and sponsored by Daysdrove, who supplied locally sourced Shropshire Porkers and the British Pig Executive (BPEX). Judges were Nick Davies from WelshMeatOnline, Steve Vaughan from S. A. Vaughan Butchers, Penyffordd near Chester and Graham Garner, shop manager from Daysdrove, Church Stretton.

Mr Davies said the competition attracted a large crowd, which created a great atmosphere for the young butchers to demonstrate a high level of skills.

Brassington had earlier won the Shropshire Young Butcher of the Year contest at the show.

Picture caption: Grand Slam competition butchers and judges (from left) judge Nick Davies, Gary Raeburn from Scotland, judge Steve Vaughan, Marc Tierney from Northern Ireland, Welsh champion Tomos Hopkin, judge Graham Garner and Shropshire Young Butcher of the Year Andrew Brassington.

Mary Hopkins, Shropshire County Show’s general manager, said she hoped to include both butchery competitions in next year’s event because they were so successful.

“It was a real bonus to have the butchery competitions at the show,” she said. “It was absolutely fascinating to watch these young men competing and I was in awe at what they achieved in the space of time available to them.”

The show proved a good introduction to the county for Cambrian Training Company, which plans to deliver apprenticeships in Shropshire later this year