Skipton Christmas champion among multiple prime cattle haul for Keelham

A seven-strong haul of prize-winning prime beef cattle, among them the overall supreme champion and the male champion, fell to Keelham Farm Shop in Thornton, Bradford, at Skipton Auction Mart’s sixth annual Lingfield Christmas primestock shows and sales. (Sun, Dec 1)

Keelham’s James Robertshaw was on hand to lead some lively bidding at the annual highlight, seeing the hammer fall at £2,907, or 510p/kg, top price of the day, for the 570kg title winner, a British Blue-cross heifer that won first prize in the young handlers show class in the hands of Jonathan Timm, of TWH Farming, based at Olive Farm, Easingwold. The victor, also female champion, was by a sire bred in Cumbria’s Eden Valley by Richard Tiplady.

The Timm family also stepped up with the male champion, the first prize Limousin-cross steer, bred by L Bamforth & Sons in Wainstalls, Halifax, and later sold at Skipton to Willie Timm. The youngster had gone on to achieve multiple successes in the show arena this year and, weighing in at 720kg, became another quality Keelham acquisition at £1,872, or 260p/kg.

A third Timm first prize winner, a 540kg Charolais-sired steer, was also knocked down to Keelham for £1,593, or 295p/kg, as was the third prize 620kg Limousin-cross steer from Chris Crowther, of Greenfield, Oldham, at £1,705, or 275p/kg.

The Brighouse & Denholme Road farm shop also snapped up the first and second prize British Blue-cross steers, paying for £1,712.50, or 250p/kg, for the 685kg red rosette winner, also runner-up in the young handlers class for 17-year-old John Stephenson, of Bordley. The steer had performed with credit on this year’s regional show circuit, winning no less than six championships, including the title at this year’s Gargrave Show and the local championship at Kilnsey.

The 600kg runner-up from Clare Cropper and John Mellin, of Mill House Farm, Long Preston, sold for £1,740, or 290p/kg. Keelham then made it a clean sweep of the prize winners in the young handlers show class when paying £1,504.50, or 295p/kg, for the third placed 510kg Limousin-cross entry shown by Clare Cropper.

All Keelham’s Skipton prime beef acquisitions will be fully matured, before being made available to customers in the run-up to Christmas.

Multi award-winning Keelham Farm Shop, which has clinched numerous local, regional and national accolades and was this year chosen as the Best Independent Retailer in the Observer Food Awards, remains the single biggest purchaser of prime beef and lamb champions and prize winners at Skipton Auction Mart.

It remains on track to open its second flagship farm shop in Gargrave Road, Skipton, a stone’s throw from the auction mart. Work is due to start on site in the New Year, with the much anticipated launch scheduled for summer.

“We have again acquired some of the finest festive beef that money can buy. We have an excellent trading partnership with Skipton Auction Mart and its local farmer vendors, which will be further cemented when we open our new Skipton store next year,” said Mr Robertshaw.

John Stephenson and his son were also responsible for the reserve supreme prime beef champion, the first prize British Blue-cross lightweight heifer, which weighed in at 490kg and was home-bred by their stock bull, fondly known as ‘Tank,’ out of a Blue-cross-Limousin cow. She sold for £1,764, or 360p/kg, to D&A Gregory & Sons Butchers, of Bacup.

The St James Street shop also paid £1,475, or 295p/kg, for the third prize Charollais-sired 500kg heifer from John Mellin and Clare Cropper.

TWH Farming landed a further first prize win in the British Blue-cross heavy heifer show class with a 645kg animal sold for £1,870.50, or 290p/kg, to South Yorkshire meat wholesalers Woolley Bros, of Sheffield.

The same buyers also acquired three further prize winners, the third placed 630kg Limousin-cross heifer from John Mellin and Clare Cropper at £1,776.60, or 282p/kg, the third prize 590kg British Blue-cross lightweight heifer from Dacre’s Ian Moorhouse for £1,770, or 300p/kg, and the third prize 610kg British Blue-cross heavy heifer from Phil Summers Agriculture in Clayton, Bradford, at £1,738.50, or 285p/kg.

John Mellin and Clare Cropper landed another prize with the third placed 465kg Blonde heifer, which joined show co-judge, Cross Roads butcher Paul Leadbeater, for £1,488, or 350p/kg.

Skipton’s Geoff and Margaret Lawn presented the second prize 535kg native breed Aberdeen Angus entry,acquired for £1,444.50, or 270p/kg, by Swaledale Foods, now based in Keighley, but soon to move to a new unit in Skipton.

James Cooper, of Dacre, had the second prize 720kg Limousin-cross steer, which was purchased for £1,670.40, or 232p/kg, by Stanforths Butchers in Skipton.

The second prize 575kg British Blue-cross lightweight heifer from 2012 Skipton Christmas Show champion Hayley Baines, of Trawden, sold to regular buyer Anthony Swales for £2,012, or 350p/kg, and will be sold for Christmas tables at Mr Swales’ Knavesmire Butchers in Albermarle Road, York.

Hayley Baines also stepped up with second prize 525kg Charolais-sired entry, which returned to its roots when bought for £1,575, or 300p/kg, by John Whiteside Butchers in Colne.

The second prize 685kg British Blue-cross heavy heifer from RH Critchley, of Hutton, Preston, made £2,055, or 300p/kg, when joining Jeff Boocock & Son Butchers in Fridaythorpe, near Driffield.

The second co-judge was Michael Atkinson, of ABP.