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BACK WITH A BANG-ER!
07 September 2007
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The roadshows looking for the best pork products British butchers have to offer got off to a flying start.
The first of the 2007/2008 Regional Roadshow and Product Evaluation Events, which are organised by the British Pig Executive (BPEX), was held in Ipswich earlier this week.
BPEX welcomed butchers to the Hotel Elizabeth in Copdock, who put forward 69 products for evaluation by the esteemed judges. Picking up the prized title of Overall Champion was Wolverhampton based butcher John Callinswood, from the Avion Food Hall for his speciality ‘Pork, Stilton and Spring Onion Sausage’.
A fellow Wolverhampton butcher, Peter Price of John Rennison Butchers, also impressed the judges and triumphed in no less than three categories; Traditional Pork Sausage, Traditional Pork Pie and Speciality Hot Eating Pie.
When John Callinswood created his Pork, Stilton and Spring Onion Sausage he immediately knew the recipe was a winner. He said: “I only came up with the idea a few weeks ago but the combination of Stilton and spring onions really appealed to me. Once the amounts had been refined the sausages were cooked and offered to our customers to try. The feedback was superb and they confirmed what I had thought – that it was a great product. It was then that we decided to put it forward for evaluation.
“It is a real accolade for me and the team that the judges awarded it both category champion and Overall Champion. I think the key to our success is the fact that we source quality, local pork and combine it with the finest ingredients. Traceability and assurance are paramount and really do have a positive impact on the products we produce and our customers. The BPEX competitions draw in a lot of good butchers with great products so I’m delighted with the results!”
Peter Price of John Rennison Butchers was equally pleased with their success, he said: “It is testament to the team at the shop that we have done so well. It’s been a year since taking over the business and in that time we’ve added many new products, including ready meals and pies. In fact our ‘Staffordshire Lamb with Mint & Chutney Pie’ is one of the most recent additions so are especially pleased that it was a category winner. We always use local ingredients and I think it is the attention to detail that stands us in good stead. The product evaluation events are great way of gaining recognition, we entered for the first time last year and will continue to do so in the future.”
BPEX butchery and product development manager, Keith Fisher, said: “This was a great start to this latest season of roadshows and our congratulations go to the category champions who entered products of an exceedingly high standard. To achieve gold award status, products must get at least 95 points out of 100 and for silver, over 90 points, so when you consider that over half of the entries were awarded gold or silver then the quality becomes apparent.
“We were also pleased to see products entered into the two new categories ‘Meatballs and Faggots’ and ‘Black Pudding’ and of course our special category for the next generation of butchers. Young Sausage Maker Champion, Stephen Smith, demonstrated great skill and must get special praise for his ‘Pork & Leek Sausage’ – well done.”
The next roadshow takes place at the Langstone Cliff Hotel, Dawlish in Devon on Wednesday 26 September 2007. For more details and to download an entry form visit www.porkforbutchers.co.uk or contact Jackie Hawkes at BPEX on 01908 844 107.
After that, the roadshows will be stopping at the following locations:
· 23 October 2007 – Askham Bryan College, York
· 14 November 2007 – The Cedric Ford Pavilion, Newark Showground, Notts
· 30 January 2008 – The Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcs
· 20 February 2008 – Reebok Stadium, Bolton
· 27 March 2008 – South of England Showground, Ardingley, West Sussex
The Product Evaluation Events recognise and reward product excellence and innovation among butchers. The judges use the following criteria: overall appearance; size and colour; ease of cutting; texture and structure; and most importantly taste and smell.
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