The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Much at steak as small-scale beef producer sees off big finishers
Small-scale Angus beef producer Archie Gauld beat off the might of north-east beef finishers to win the Kepak McIntosh Donald Best Scotch Steak competition at the Royal Highland Show.
First-time exhibitor Archie Gauld, who with wife Phyllis, and son Richard finishes around 100 cattle a year on his 250-acre farm of Fawside, Kinneff, on the AngusAberdeenshire border, took the top honour with a steak from a 354.2kg Aberdeen-Angus cross steer which came out top of 200 entries.
The initial entry was whittled down to 12 following the preliminary judging of sirloins at Kepak’s Portlethen meat plant last month.
Steaks from the sirloins were grilled at the show by Tesco development chef Jamie Robinson, and judged on eating quality, including taste and tenderness, by an expert panel.
The Gaulds bought the steer which produced the winning steak as a store at Aberdeen & Northern Marts’ Thainstone Centre and it was finished on a simple diet of grass, silage and brock potatoes.
Reserve was a steak from a 382.5kg Simmental cross steer bought as a store at Forfar from Doug Rose, Taylorspark, St Cyrus. Third place went to Ron and Elizabeth Farquhar, Tewel, Stonehaven, with a steak from a 326.9kg home-bred Limousin cross heifer.
Other finalists were W Barnetson & Sons, Lynegar, Wick; last year’s winner, Alan Meston, Chapelton, Stonehaven; Hugh Gordon, Clochnahill, Stonehaven; the firm of Norman Cowie, Bilbo, Fraserburgh; Bill Henderson, Nether Toucks, Stonehaven; Neish Bros, Bowbutts, Strachan, Banchory; J&J Watt, Stoneyhill, Inverurie; David and Val Buchan, Savoch, Mintlaw; and Willie Cameron, Burnside of Edingight, Keith.