Great Yorkshire Show: Radford's Butchers near Whitby take top prize at Battle of the Butchers competition

Owner Andrew Radford and butcher Pete Everington, who has worked at Radford’s for 20 years, formed a team and went up against eight other teams in heats held across the first three days of the show before an overall winner was announced on the Friday.

The contest for independent retailers from all over the country was organised by Danny Upson of Dalziel Ltd in conjunction with the Institute of Meat.

Each team was given a side of pork, a lamb, a top and rump of beef and three chickens, a pantry of other ingredients such as marinades, sauces and coatings – and two and a three quarter hours to cut, prepare, season, display and label as many products as they could in that time.

Teams were judged on ten criteria including teamwork, organisation, hygiene, cleanliness and labelling of products and awards were given for best innovative pork, beef, lamb and chicken product as well as best sausage and burger.

As well as winning their heat, Radford’s won best lamb, beef, pork and burger products, before being named overall winners at the end of the week.

Mr Radford said: “I said to Pete afterwards ‘I can’t believe we won it’. He said ‘I can’t remember what we did’. I have done competitions before but having said that, it was 26 years since I did the last one like that.

"It was definitely the biggest challenge we have done, it was a lot of pressure. When we finished it felt like we had run a Christmas shop but it was worth it.

"When we went back on the Friday there was some serious competition but we have been working together years and from the feedback thought we might be in with a shout.

"One bloke said to us after, ‘I have been a butcher for 40 years and never seen anything like you two’.”

Each team had to come up with a theme so theirs was ‘Radford’s Voyage’ and based around the story of the explorer Captain James Cook and when he lived in Whitby as well as what he would have eaten on the ship and the flavours that would come from the countries he visited.

In less than three hours the duo had created and displayed 56 products, around 20 more than the other teams, which included lamb neck tagine, chicken kiev of lemon pepper, Highland beef olives, pork osso bucco and a classic pork chop.

Back at the auction markets this week and his shop, where their two trophies are taking pride of place on the counter, Mr Radford added: “We finished what we set out to do on our day, do it well and with our heads held high. Everything else was a bonus.

"We are chuffed to bits. It is good for Yorkshire, and especially on your own turf, to get a national competition under your belt.”