Supreme Q Award For Buckwells Of Southsea
Presentation By TV Chef Paul Rankin
The overall supreme prize in the Guild’s 2007 Smithfield
Awards has been won by a Christmas speciality lamb product from
Buckwells of Southsea.
The Smithfield Awards are among the most prestigious in the meat
industry and a true indication of excellence.
Lamb Saddle Au Poire, a boned saddle of lamb stuffed with a mix of
pear flavoured sausage meat, beat off competition from almost 400
products which were assessed by a panel of experts at MLC
headquarters at Milton Keynes in October.
The panel described the product, which is sold kitchen ready for
consumers, as… “very, very impressive. It was exceptionally well
prepared, looked fantastic when raw and performed well in cooking,
delivering all of its promise.”
At a special lunch and awards ceremony in Butchers Hall, London,
on November 13, TV chef and restaurateur Paul Rankin presented the
Supreme Trophy to John Buckwell of the Southsea firm.
In addition to the overall supreme, the winning product, made from
Welsh lamb, also won the Diamond Award in the Christmas product
category.
All told, Buckwells products won 13 golds, three silver and two bronze.
John Buckwell said: “We are absolutely thrilled to win the supreme award.
We normally do well in product evaluation but this is the pinnacle and a
wonderful promotional opportunity in the run-up to Christmas. This
product will quickly become a customer favourite.”
Paul Rankin praised the Guild for its concentration on quality. “Butchers and chefs are virtually in the same business – providing meal solutions for consumers and customers, “ he said. “As chefs we need to be knowledgeable about all aspects of sourcing and quality and that also happens to be what the Guild is all about.”
2007 Smithfield Awards - Diamond Winners
There were seven categories in the Guild’s Product Evaluation and the other six Diamond winners were as follows:
Sausages: Allan Bennett’s Pork, Stilton and Spring Onion sausage.
Judges comments: An unusual sausage delivering exactly what it says on the label with delicate flavours of Stilton and spring onion.
Burgers: R T Stuart’s Steak, Pork and Onion Burger.
Judges comments: Interesting and attractive visual appearance. Performed well on cooking with a distinctive flavour.
Cooked Meats and Roasts: Elite Meat’s Rare Roast Highland Beef.
Judges comments: Rare beef cooked to perfection. Not easy to get such a product absolutely spot on but this was perfect. Excited the judges.
Bacon & Cured Products: Cranston’s Streaky Bacon.
Judges comments: This was a perfect example of a staple type of bacon. Superb taste and an excellent breakfast rasher.
Pies & Bakery: Green’s of Pangbourne’s Pork, Chilli & Apricot Sausage Roll.
Judges comments: An unusually spicy sausage roll which was delivered cold. Although it could be eaten hot or cold, would make an excellent cold eating snack.
Kitchen Ready: Lidgate’s Five Spice Pork Spare Ribs.
Judges comments: Really well prepared rack of ribs close to falling off the bone – devoured by the judges!
BPEX Award for best pork product: Lidgate’s Pork Spare Ribs
EBLEX Award for best English beef product: Elite Meat’s Roast Beef
EBLEX Award for best English lamb product: PJ Howarth’s Cramberlamb Whirl.
Judges comments: A really tender piece of lamb with the stuffing delivering subtle extra flavours.