New kids on the block are bidding to give seasoned entrants a run for their money in this year’s 24th Great Yorkshire Pork Pie, Sausage & Products Competition.
Organisers, the Confederation of Yorkshire Butchers Councils, report a flood of new faces for the 2012 contest, the biggest regional meat trades competition in the land.
It takes place this Sunday, November 4, at Cedar Court Hotel, Bradford, and features flagship pork pie and sausage classes, supported by standalone classes for black puddings and beefburgers, plus a class for the best newcomer to the competition.
Yorkshire’s farm shops are turning out in force, among them a number of first-time entrants.
Rosemary Craddock, of Thorncliffe Farm Shop in Westcliffe Lane, Emley Moor, Huddersfield, and David Plane, one of the shop’s butchers, are submitting entries in the pork pie and sausage classes for the first time.
Anthony Ross, of Lawns Farm Shop in Morthen, Rotherham, is also making his debut in the competition, having entered both the thick pork sausage and speciality sausage classes.
Another farm shop lining up for the first time in the pork pie, sausage and beefburger classes, is Rusby’s, of Blacker Road, Mapplewell, Barnsley, run by James Rusby and Kevin Irving.
Bolster Moor Farm Shop at Golcar in Huddersfield, which last year entered the competition for the first time and came away with both the reserve supreme pork pie and sausage titles, returns with a strong hand in both classes and is also entering the black pudding class for the first time.
Brian Noon, of Sykes House Farm, in Walton Road, Wetherby, has entered all three sausage classes.
Bakers who make pork pies on their own premises are also eligible to participate and this year two have taken up the gauntlet for the first time in the competition’s history – Robert Walker, of Walker’s Bakery in Skipton, and Stephen and Janet Bowes, of AW Scott Bakers in Crossgates, Leeds.
Wilsden butcher Richard Arundel has also entered for the first time in the speciality sausage class. A butcher for many years, he set up in business in his own right for the first time earlier this year when taking over Howard Clough’s long-established Main Street butchers shop.
Two Valleys Fresh Produce, run by John Bamforth and Ella Bower, who took over at Raymond Lodge’s established shop in Greens End Road, Meltham, Holmfirth, in March this year, have submitted entries for the first time in the pork pie, sausage and black pudding classes. They hail from a family of farmers and pork butchers.
Family butcher Jamie Attwood, whose established his shop in Midland Road, Royston, Barnsley, seven years ago and only started making his own pork pies last year, will be testing their mettle at the Great Yorkshire. He has also entered the sausage and beefburger classes.
Also hoping to make their mark as first-time entrants in the pork pie classes are husband and wife Nick and Kate Akerman, who run The Porkery in Battinson Street, Halifax, and sell their products from stalls and at local farmers markets.
From farming stock, Mr Akerman is Halifax-born and bred and has worked in the pig industry in various parts of the country, moving back north in April this year to launch the new business with his wife, who hails from Bracknell. His parents, Yvonne and Stuart Akerman, farm at Back Old Royd Farm, Southowram, where the pigs are raised.
Another newcomer in all the pork pie and sausage classes, along with the black pudding class, is pork butcher T Appleton & Son Butchers in Market Place East, Ripon.
All face tough competition from past champions and prizewinners.
Steve Martin, of Bentleys Butchers in Robin Lane, Pudsey, supreme pork pie champion for the past two years, can’t enter this year under the rules of the competition, so will be among the pork pie judges. However, he has a strong hand in all three sausage classes and will be bidding to repeat his 2010 supreme champion sausage success.
However, he will be up against the reigning supreme sausage champion, Leeds butcher, Paul Flintoft, of High Street, Kippax, who is returning to defend his title.
Past supreme champions and multiple prizewinners Hofmanns of Wakefield, represented by Nigel Hofmann, a national sausage-making chmapion, will again be going for glory in the both the pork pie and sausage classes.
Competition regular Weegmann’s Butchers in Market Place, Otley, has entered every single class and will be bidding to add to an impressive list of prize wins over the years.
Another regular entrant Shaun Fairweather, of Fairweather’s Butchers & Deli in Mirfield, who has regularly featured among the prizes over the years, returns for another crack in all but the black pudding class.
Past prizewinners Ellisons Butchers in Cullingworth is again entering all the pork pie and sausage classes, with Brendan Ellison responsible for the pies and John Ellison preparing the sausage entries.
Howgate & Farrar Butchers, of Aberford Road, Woodlesford, Leeds, who won the trophy for the best newcomer to the competition when it was first presented in 2010, are back for another tilt in the pork pie, sausage and beefburger classes.
Also returning for the second time is Paul Van Leeuwen, who runs the village co-op in Station Road, Shepley, Huddersfield, and has entered the traditional pork pie and speciality pie classes.
Other return entrants include:
B&M Collins & Sons Butchers, of Westgate, Cleckheaton, in the pork pie, sausage and black pudding classes.
Beres Pork Shop, of Rawson Spring Road, Sheffield, in the pork pie, sausage and black pudding classes.
Ged Bell Family Butchers, of Middlethorpe Road, Dringhouses, York, in the pork pie classes.
Oxley’s Butchers, of Middleton Park Circus, Leeds, in the pork pie and sausage classes.
Roy Dykes Butchers, of Keighley Market, in all three sausage classes.
John Crawshaw Quality Butchers, of Manchester Road, Sheffield, in the pork pie, sausage and beefburger classes.
Gary Ogden, of FA Walker Butchers, of King Cross Road, Halifax, in all three sausage classes.
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