Butchers make a splash in time

YORKSHIRE made an impression last weekend at the English Winter Fair at the Staffordshire showground – said to be the biggest fatstock show and sale in the country.

Expanding slaughterers and suppliers John Penny, of Rawdon, Leeds, bought the supreme beef champion of the day, a Limousin-x called Meat Loaf, for 6,500 – the equivalent of nearly 16 a kilo deadweight – and then paid 3,400 for the runner-up, to mark their debut at the event and the launch of a new website at www.johnpenny.co.uk/

A butcher's shop in Woodlesford, Leeds, bought the meat from Penny's to hang for pre-Christmas cutting and sale to customers at standard prices.

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The shop was started six months ago, by Geoff Howgate and Richard Farrar, who used to work together in the Wakefield area and thought there was room for High Street butchers to make a comeback.

They have done well so far and wanted the rosettes and sashes for their festive window display.

Paying top prices for Christmas primestock is a competition for status in the meat business and the customers get their share of the spoils more or less for free.

John Penny's buyer, Mick Searle, said: "We buy quality 52 weeks a year and we wanted to show that we don't stop at Christmas."

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Butcher Geoff Howgate said: "Of course we are paying over the odds, and we will only charge standard beef prices for it, but we are coming up to our first Christmas and we wanted to make a bit of a splash.

"When we said we were going to start a new high street butchers, people said we must be barmy."

Thirsk showman Matthew Keel took the reserve champion to the Fair – one of those which John Penny bought and sold on to Howgate & Farrar. The animal was Jet, a 665-kilo Belgium Blue-x steer, bought from Carlisle in March.

He was champion in his class and Mr Keel, 23, and his sister, Clare, 20, came away with a total of seven rosettes, eight award cards, a cup and the Supreme Reserve Champion band, to add to an impressive haul from the summer shows.

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They thanked retired showman John Peckitt of Thirsk, who has coached them.

The supreme animal, Meat Loaf, was shown by Lincolnshire-based owner Trevor Lyon, who also won the commercial beef championship at this year's Great Yorkshire Show.

The 18-month-old steer was bred by Welsh farmer Ken Jones, in Betws-y-Coed.

Family butchery and bakery JA Mounfield of Bubwith, Selby, won four category prizes at a BPEX competition for north-east England pie-makers at the Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate – and the prize for best exhibit overall, a traditional pork pie.

CW 27/11/10

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