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Our team visited The Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate, where the largest annual agricultural event in England celebrated its 165th birthday. The yearly show takes place in July and is organised by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society (YAS), showcasing a variation of livestock, machinery, live music, rural pursuits and all things food.

We made our way to the food hall where we were greeted with an abundance of stalls selling local meats, cheese, pies and of course lots of free samples! Among the offerings were big names like Heck, showcasing their quality sausages and latest creations. The food hall proudly housed our Dalziel Ltd stand, who were honoured to host the new competition ‘Battle of the Butchers’, in conjunction with the Institute of Meat. Presented by Sales and Marketing Director Danny Upson, the new contest saw nine teams of butchers compete to produce the best dishes in six different meat categories at the Show on all four days: Best Innovative Pork Product 2024, Best Innovative Beef Product 2024, Best Innovative Lamb Product 2024, Best Innovative Chicken Product 2024, Best Innovative Sausage 2024 and Best Innovative Burger 2024.

The competing teams were given a side of pork, a topside of beef, a rump of beef, a thick flank of beef, a whole lamb, and three whole chickens, as well as a pantry of ingredients. The judging criteria considered each butcher’s chosen theme, techniques, innovation, presentation skills, hygiene practices, waste and trim utilisation, and the quantity and quality of the products they produced. After preparing their creations, they showcased them to a panel of expert judges including Keith Fisher (CEO, Institute of Meat), Roger Kelsey (Past Chief Executive, NCB), David Gigli (NCB National President), and Viv Harvey (World Butchery Demonstrator).

Andrew Radford and Peter Everington from Radford’s Butchers near Whitby took home the top prize in the competition. They also won Best Innovative Beef with their Beef Nacho Cheese Truffle and Best Innovative Lamb Product, Rack on Black.

Pop-up tents from Morrisons and Asda proudly showcased dairy, butchery and bakery counters with fresh food sourced directly from British farmers, including local businesses across Yorkshire. The Cranswick X Asda tent presented various pork-based products from Asda’s Extra Special Range, featuring different cuts of pork. Samples handed out included pre-marinated pork maple miso kebab in a rice noodle salad and pork mince chilli con carne.

The Yorkshire Show offered a blend of tradition, innovation and passion, celebrating agricultural heritage and enthusiastic exhibitors. Our team left the event with an appreciation for the hard work behind every animal, product and display.

For media enquiries, please email: jessica.kane@dalziel.co.uk