It’s official, England’s Best Sirloin Steak hails from Derbyshire, after local butchery business Owen Taylor & Sons Ltd triumphed at the EBLEX Quality Standard Mark Excellence Awards 2015.
The ‘Larder Trim Sirloin Steak’ from the family-owned butchery company was one of nine shortlisted products in the ‘Best Sirloin Steak’ competition, picked after two tense rounds of judging. Three finalists from each of the competition’s three categories – Independent Butcher, Multiple Retailer and Foodservice Operator – were then invited to a special awards ceremony in London (22 April) when the category winners – and the Overall Winner were unveiled.
After winning the ‘Independent Butcher Category’, Owen Taylor & Sons Ltd went on to be crowned ‘Overall Champion’ and purveyor of England’s Best Sirloin Steak.
Picking up the highly prized award Richard Taylor, managing director at Owen Taylor & Sons Ltd, said: “This is a magnificent moment for us and our customers. We know we produce some of the finest steaks around, which come from quality animals from assured farms. Our sirloin steaks are well-matured and deliver fantastic flavour – and they are now officially the best in the country!”
Picture shows Richard Taylor accepting the Overall Winner award.
‘England’s Best Sirloin Steak’ is one of three competitions in the EBLEX Quality Standard Mark Excellence Awards 2015, along with ‘England’s Best Innovative Steak and ‘England’s Best Steak Pie’. The awards, which are open to butchers, supermarkets and caterers throughout the country, recognise steak products that deliver excellent eating qualities and the highest levels of customer satisfaction.
Not content with their sirloin success, Owen Taylor & Sons Ltd also claimed the category winner title in the ‘Added Value Steaks’ section of the ‘England’s Best Innovative Steak’ competition with a ‘Denver Fire Steak’. Furthermore, their ‘12-Inch Steak and Stilton Pie’ was highly commended in the foodservice category of ‘England’s Best Steak Pie’.
Richard Taylor added: “These awards are a fantastic recognition of the hard work and dedication that goes into producing our meat; from the farmers to our on-site team of butchers and bakers. We constantly strive to create the very best products for all our customers to enjoy and are delighted to be able to prove that this is the case – not just locally but nationwide too.”
Competition organiser and foodservice project manager for EBLEX, Hugh Judd, said: “Often described as the ‘king of steaks’ the sirloin is a prime cut that has wonderful taste and texture. But there is a lot riding on both the butchery techniques and quality of the animal to produce the very best examples. Owen Taylor & Son Ltd has the ideal processes in place and go to extraordinary lengths to get their sirloin steaks right each time. That is why they were chosen as Champions.”
