Laurissa  Celebrates National Award Win at London Prizegiving Event

We re delighted to announce that our very own apprentice, Laurissa, has been named Best Apprentice Showing Real Management Potential and Champion Meat Apprentice of the Year, at the Institute of Meat (IoM) and Worshipful Company of Butchers Annual Prizegiving, held at Butchers Hall in London on 27th February.

Laurissa, who competed against apprentices from around the country, was presented with her certificate of achievement by Institute of Meat (IoM) Chief Executive, Keith Fisher (F.Inst.M), and John Allton Jones, Master of the Worshipful Company of Butchers. They were also awarded a cheque to the value of £250 and a years’ honorary membership of the Institute of Meat.

This longstanding event is a firm fixture in the meat industry calendar and seeks to recognise and celebrate the achievement of apprentices, their employers, and training providers. Nominations are carefully considered by the IoM and industry experts. On the day, achievement awards are given in twelve categories to apprentices and organisations from across the country. The prizegiving is also the event where the award-winning apprentices witness a select few highly accomplished butchers receiving Institute of Meat accredited Master Butcher (MB.Inst.M) status.

Commenting on this years’ awards, Keith Fisher (F.Inst.M), himself a fourth generation Master Butcher, said,

‘It’s a proud moment for Laurissa and Brian Etherington Meat Co. Our awards are not given lightly, only to those who demonstrate exceptional promise. Indeed, several of the UK’s most talented and successful butchers were once Institute of Meat award winning apprentices themselves.

We’re also celebrating the fact that the butchery apprenticeship launched here in Butchers Hall a decade ago has recently been formally updated. Effectively, this means that the craft of butchery has now been ‘future-proofed’. Both apprentices and employers can be confident that it will deliver the skills needed in every butchery business today, and tomorrow.’

Mark Etherington, from Brian Etherington Meat Co., also said,

‘Laurissa is a shining example of what the next generation of butchers can achieve. Her passion, skill, and commitment to the craft have made her an invaluable member of our team, and we are incredibly proud to see her hard work recognised at such a high level. She represents the future of butchery, proving that talent and determination know no boundaries.’