A HUDDERSFIELD butcher was among the winners at a top food competition.
Luke Haigh, 20, of Bolster Moor Farm Shop, won third prize in the “Regional Speciality” category of the International Young Butcher Competition in Holland.
Luke impressed the judges at the event in Utrecht with his London 2012 Olympic Pie.
He was beaten by second-placed Mathius Mache, of Austria, and category winner Marco Muller, of Switzerland – who went on to become runner-up in the overall International Young Butcher 2012 competition.
Luke and UK teammate Mathew Gothard, of Bates Butchers in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, competed in six categories over two days against strong competition from Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Luxembourg and Switzerland.
Together, Luke and Mathew improved on all previous UK performances to lift individual and team rankings off the bottom of the results table.
Luke finished eighth and Mathew 12th overall. In a field of 14 national teams, they came fifth.
Luke was chosen to take part by industry body the National Federation of Meat and Food Traders after officials assessed his skills in five key butchery tasks.
NFMFT chief executive Roger Kelsey said: “We knew the lads were better placed this year than in the UK’s two previous appearances – but to get a result like this shows great improvement and goes to prove that we have the talent in our country to compete alongside the very best in Europe.”
The coveted title of International Young Butcher 2012 went to Marco van der Haut, of Holland.
