Eyes on the prize as butcher set for steak judging and award nights
A Staffordshire butcher is preparing for a prestigious task judging some of the best steaks from around the world.
Craig Thomas has been appointed as one of a select group of 80 international judges for the World Steak Challenge at Vlees & Co steakhouse in Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
Mr Thomas, who is a sixth-generation butcher at Martin Thomas Butchers in Pattingham, will join his fellow judges, who include Richie Wilson, TV chef and culinary director of FIRE Steakhouse & Bar and Ioannis Grammenos, executive chef and meatologist of Heliot Steak House in London, on Saturday, September 13 for the start of four days of work.
The judges will check the various cuts of steak, which include ribeye, sirloin, T-bone, rump and fillet, raw for appearance, aroma, colour, marbling and consistency of fat trim and cooked for appearance, aroma, flavour, succulence and tenderness, with all scores totalled and the winners verified.
Mr Thomas said it had been a great honour to be selected, having gone through a thorough process to be chosen as a judge.
