New butcher shows flair in debut at Winter Fair
A PERFORMING arts student who dropped out of university to launch a career as a butcher found himself in the spotlight at the Royal Welsh Winter Fair.
Sam Hughes, 22, from Brian Crane Butchers, Maesycwmmer, Caerphilly, proved himself to be top of the chops as he won the Welsh Young Butcher competition on his debut.
Runner-up was Joseph Gibbs, 21, from Martin Players, Cardiff, and third was Dewi Davies, 19, of Bethesda Farm and Coffee Shop, Bethesda, Narberth.
Sam followed the morning competition by finishing joint third in the Welsh Pork Butcher contest – which was open to butchers of all ages – in the afternoon.
The winner was Craig Holly, of Neil Powell Butchers, Abergavenny, with Kevin Aldred, of Martin Players, Cardiff, the runner-up and Clive Swan, of Swans Farm Shop, Mold, joint third.
“It was a bit nerve-racking and my hands wouldn’t stop shaking for the first hour,” said Sam, an apprentice with Cambrian Training Company.
“The second hour was much better and I couldn’t stop smiling when my name was announced as the winner of the Welsh Young Butcher competition.
“I was happily surprised to win and it’s a big confidence-boost. Even though I have only been a butcher for 18 months, this shows that I am good enough to win competitions and I now have a trophy to show customers!”
It was also a competition debut victory for Craig, 28, from Abergavenny.
“I just entered the competition for the experience, to be honest and I still don’t believe that I won,” he said.
The Welsh Young Butcher competition, open to butchers aged under 25, is organised by workbased learning provider Cambrian Training Company, which also collaborated with Keith Brown, the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society’s meat production competitions chief steward, to jointly run the Welsh Pork Butcher contest.
Both competitions were sponsored by Hybu Cyg Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales.
Apart from having the kudos of being named Wales’ best young butcher, the winner received a cheque for £130, while the runner-up received £70.
The young butchers were challenged to produce a display of meat in two hours from a whole top rump of Welsh beef, a shoulder of PGI Welsh lamb, a whole pork belly and a whole chicken.
In the pork butcher competition, the finalists were given two hours to create an innovative and creative display from half a Welsh pig, using either modern or traditional methods and packaging to best promote Welsh pork to consumers.