Amy, of Earby, is undertaking her NVQ Level 2 in Meat & Poultry Processing, run by the butchery school at M.E.A.T. (Ipswich) in Suffolk. She receives her training in-house and was chosen as the top apprentice in April from hundreds of young butchers involved in the scheme.

Amy is no stranger to success in the awards arena. While studying catering at Craven College in Skipton, she was presented with a special trophy for her outstanding work both in and out of college, also receiving a second work experience award while at Drake & Macefield Butchers.

In fact, Amy passed her NVQ Level 1, 2 and 3 catering qualification courses at Craven College in just three years – half the time it normally takes to complete the six-year programme. She was then offered a full-time job with us.

Steven Rudelhoff, Amy’s assessor at M.E.A.T. (Ipswich), said:

”Amy is an enthusiastic young lady and tackles all her objectives and tasks with a lot of enthusiasm. In her exams, she has gained four distinctions and three credits, which is excellent. She shows so much flair with what she is doing and has achieved so much. It is a joy to work with her. She will go a long way and make a very good butcher. Her customer care skills are very good as well.”

Drake & Macefield places major emphasis on staff training, notably among its rising stars. A second butcher, 22-year-old Adam Proctor, who works at the Settle shop, is also undertaking the same apprenticeship scheme.
We are proud of our support of local meat producers and expansion has seen our workforce grow to 15-strong.

We’ve managed to win a haul of gold awards in the national Q Guild’s 2009 Smithfield Awards, two for our traditional pork sausage one for stuffed pork loin and a Christmas special.

The Smithfield Awards, held in London, are among the most highly coveted in the meat industry and a true indication of excellence. More than 500 products from Q butchers throughout the UK were assessed by an independent panel of experts.

We then followed up with a further two gold awards at a British Pig Executive (BPEX) event in Harrogate – again with our traditional pork sausage, the second in the ‘Young Sausage Maker’ category, when Andrew Teal struck gold with his pork with honey and wholegrain mustard sausage.

Andrew, 24, from Barnoldswick, also received a BPEX silver award for the business’s dry-cured bacon.

Andrew first joined us on leaving school, before returningin September this year after honing his butchery experience and skills with a meat industry supplier in Colne. Andrew and fellow butcher Andrew Cawkwell produce the award-winning products all of which are on sale in the shop.

Television chef and food author Lesley Waters is helping with a major branding exercise to lift the profile of the Q Guild, the organisation that represents some of the best butchers in Britain, including Drake & Macefield. Lesley is devising a series of seasonal recipes for promotion in Q butcher shops throughout the country, showing consumers what can be achieved with British beef, lamb, pork and chicken.

The promotion coincides with a national branding exercise by the Guild in all of its 150 member shops to convince consumers that the best place to buy the best meat, which will be British and more than likely sourced locally, is at a Q butcher – the Q stands for quality. Q butchers shops like Drake & Macefield now have new external signage – a signal to consumers that they are shopping at one of the best independent meat retailers in the country. Q butchers are unique in that they voluntarily submit their businesses to a stringent and independent audit before attaining membership. They are then subjected to regular audits, spot checks and visits from mystery shoppers to ensure standards are adhered to.

Q membership is one of the meat trade’s highest endorsements of excellence.

“We want to get that across to consumers. Many are fed up with the impersonal service, confusing labeling and variable quality frequently experienced in the multiples,” said Drake & Macefield’s partner Richard Teal. “Q Butchers support local retailers and local producers. There are less food miles, meat is fresher, there are quality products and quality service. We have our own individual brand, but being associated with the Q brand should send a strong message to local consumers.

Partner Ian Thompson added:

“As Q Guild members, we are well known for our innovative approach to developing and presenting meat products. Now we have the celebrity touch with Lesley’s excellent recipes.”

Drake & Macefield won one of only seven diamond awards presented in the annual Smithfield Awards, run by the Q Guild.
The winning product – Steak & Kidney Pie – received maximum marks in the pies and bakery section and was one of three gold and two silver awards landed by Drake & Macefield. The business also won gold for its Steak & Kidney Pudding and Thick Pork Sausage, and silver for Lincolnshire Sausage and Beefburger with Chilli & Cheese. Partner Ian Thompson travelled to the Butchers Hall in London to receive the diamond trophy and other awards from celebrity tv chef and cookery school owner Lesley Waters, the Q Guild’s celebrity partner this year.The duo are pictured above and Ian
said afterwards:

We’re absolutely thrilled. We normally do well in product evaluation events, but a diamond award is the pinnacle.

The Smithfield Awards are among the most prestigious in the meat industry and a true indication of excellence. More than 400 products from Q butchers across the UK were assessed by an independent panel of experts.