14 CRAFTBUTCHER l JUNE 2019 NEW UK RECORD


UK Team Coach Viv Harvey and international CIBC jury member Keith Fisher to compete in one of the toughest competitions in years. When twelve finalists spent May Day Bank Holiday weekend competing in six categories with strict time constraints in front of an international jury of expert judges and thousands of visitors to IFFA from across the Globe.


Pictured left to right Roger Kelsey, Keith Fisher, James Gracey, Lennon Callister, Neil Curtis & Viv Harvey


With final results in, James Gracey set a new UK record outperforming other elite European young butchers from Austria, France, Germany, Holland and Switzerland in the International Young Butcher Competition at the IFFA exhibition in Frankfurt last month.


James of M A Quail, Dromore, Northern Ireland was repeatedly praised by Judges for high standards of workmanship receiving accolades for his ‘County Down sweet Mincemeat Pie’, Barbecue selection, ‘Craigavon Roast’ and achieving third place for a ‘Dromore Roast and Quails Mini Roasts’ in the Roasts category. Losing out narrowly for fifth place overall by just one point to Switzerland’s Tanja Kratzer, in a competition where the top four places were shared between French and Dutch competitors.


James set a new UK record with an ‘all time’ best individual UK performance finishing the two-day competition with third place in the Roasts category and sixth overall, beating Luke Haigh of Bolster Moor Farm Shop who taking third place in the Ready to Eat with his ‘Olympic’ Pork Pie finished eighth in 2012.


National Craft Butchers (NCB) Chief Executive and UK Team Manager Roger Kelsey said “It was a brilliant performance from James but we shouldn‘t forget teammate Lennon, one of the youngest and least experienced, who was ‘parachuted in‘ back in February and putting in a spirited performance teased out the best from James“.


23-year old James and 19-year old Lennon Callister from Owen Taylor in Alfreton, Derbyshire underwent intense preparations with


James flew out from Dublin to join Lennon, Team Coach Viv Harvey, Jury Member Keith Fisher, CIBC representative Neil Curtis and Team Manager Roger Kelsey in Frankfurt. After a short coach ride to the Leonardo Hotel and settling in. Six Jury members representing each country met before dinner on Friday evening, for a briefing with CIBC President Jean Marie Oswald to confirm judging criteria for the next two days.


After an early night, competitors, Judges and supporters met for breakfast at 6.00 am Saturday morning before setting off for the IFFA exhibition Hall to set up and begin the competition.


The first category was ‘Europe’s Regions’ where competitors get an hour to make two identical ready to eat products that are judged raw, taken away, cooked and cooled


before judging for taste the next day. The French and Brits typically chose pies while the Austrians, Dutch, Germans and Swiss chose ‘emulsion’ based products or terrines.


This year the Dutch girls got first and second place and with a tie for third, James narrowly missed a place in the top three by just one point, coming fourth with a ‘County Down sweet Mincemeat’ pie made with slow cooked beef shin, cured ox tongue, beef suet, dried and candied fruits with preserves in short crust pastry.


Lennon on the other hand made a Hot Water Crust pastry pie with Owen Taylor’s ‘Smithfield Award’ winning Pastrami mixed with herb stuffing, layered with diced Turkey Breast. The pies were cooked according to instructions and once judged with other products produced, offered as ‘tasters’ to visitors to the exhibition.


The ‘Surprise’ category is the most recent discipline introduced for the first time in Austria in 2017, replacing the ‘Stuffed Roast’. Where competitors have to ‘think on their feet’ with a cut of meat not known before the morning of the competition and a box of vegetables, herbs and spices, that is known but shared with the ‘Roasts’


INTERNATIONAL YOUNG BUTCHERS’ COMPETITION


The Boys in action


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