Prize-winning prime lamb boosts festive offering at Knavesmire Butchers
Knavesmire Butchers in York is serving up prize-winning prime lamb for its customers’ festive tables.
Owner Anthony Swales first undertook safe distancing judging in individual pens of prime lowland lambs at Skipton Auction Mart’s annual Christmas fixture, then proceeded to purchase his chosen reserve supreme champions, a trio of Beltex-cross lambs from Anthony and Emma Thompson, who farm in Foulridge, west of Skipton.
He paid £180 each for them, around double what a single prime lamb would fetch on a normal market day, then further boosted his prize-winning ovine acquisitions by going to £165 per head to claim the same day’s Continental untrimmed champions, another trio of home-bred Beltex-cross lambs from Tim Robinson, of Longridge in Lancashire’s Ribble Valley.
All have now gone on sale purposely for the Christmas trade at Mr Swales’ family-run Knavesmire Butchers in Albermarle Road, York, where they are available in all the popular cuts, including festive roasts, chops and lamb shanks. Nothing will go to waste.
The lambs supplement other prime cuts of beef and pork especially for Christmas, the former reared on the Swales family farm in nearby Melbourne, the latter sourced through York Livestock Centre.
Mr Swales explained: “Once again we’ve made a major investment in our Christmas offering and we’re more than happy to make the outlay, as our customers fully deserve the best meat at this special time of the year and especially after what has been such a difficult year. However, customers should note that while the meat is rather special we’ll still be selling it at our normal shop prices. We like to term it our annual Christmas treat!”
He added: “Our aim is always to buy locally wherever and whenever possible as we can guarantee both the quality and provenance of the meat, as well as helping keep food miles to a minimum.”