Queen's butcher judges carcases

Published on Sunday 22 November 2009 21:03

FOR the first time in many years, it was an Aberdeen-Angus carcase that stole the show at the Scottish National Premier Meat Exhibition, held on Saturday at Scotbeef's Bridge of Allan plant.

Aberdeenshire producer Sandy Fordyce, Bridgefoot, Kemnay, saw his 19-month-old three-quarters Aberdeen Angus steer – which weighed 670kg live and killed out at 58.2 per cent – take the top award. It graded at O+4H with considerably more fat cover than is usual nowadays in meat competitions.

The answer clearly lay in the preference of the judge, Katrina Farquhar, and her well-honed knowledge of what her customers prefer.

They are quite important customers. She is a butcher with long-established Ballater shop HM Sheridan, holder of Royal warrants from Her Majesty the Queen and the Prince of Wales.

When the Royal family are in residence at Balmoral there can be 100 hungry people and it is Sheridan's responsibility to keep them supplied with beef, lamb and pork.

In reserve, Farquhar chose a pure Shorthorn from Quality Meat Scotland chairman Donald Biggar, Grange, Castle Douglas. Grading O+4L, this 19-month-old 530kg steer by Chapleton Typhon killed out at 57 per cent. Giampiero Carozza, of Italian meat wholesaler Gesco, selected a very different type of animal for the Premio Speciale Italiano award. Inevitably for the Italian market, he chose a neatly sized heifer carcase without too much cover. His champion came from Ewan Fettes, Braes of Enzie, Buckie, and was a 19-month-old three-quarter bred Limousin.

The lamb champion, an almost pure Beltex, came from John Hall, Inglewood Edge, Dalston, Carlisle. Judge Christian Couallier of French supermarket giant Carrefour had no hesitation in going for his ideal carcase grading E3L, 19.6kg dead having killed out at 54.4 per cent.