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MUFFS OF BROMBOROUGH WINS MAJOR NATIONAL AWARD
This years Golden Cleaver awards was the biggest industry competition of its kind in the UK . Hundreds of entries from the Best Butchers in the country battling it out in seven categories . Organised by Dalziel one of the countries leading butchery sundries and meat suppliers and hosted at The Yorkshire Event centre .
Muffs of Bromborough ' s won the prestigious Best Ready Meal category for the second time . Wirral Life caught up with owner , John Muff , to find out more .
John : " Over recent years the craft of Butchery has became different for many in the industry . It ' s certainly became harder to compete , with competition from supermarkets delivering cheap prices and convenience for the consumer . And with takeaway fast food , you don ’ t even need to move off the sofa at home , a couple of clicks on your phone and the food is delivered to your door . All good stuff , I ' m not disputing that . But what of the quality , or the love and pride that an artisan butcher can add to your plate ?
" This is one of the biggest challenges we as independent food producer / retailers have faced for years now and it ' s only ever getting harder to compete . But with such competition it makes you hone your craft further . Listen to the customer and find out what they really want and react to it immediately .
" I remember when I first started in the industry over 20 years ago when pretty much all Butchers shops were the traditional set ups . My Dad said “ right lads we are selling oven ready chicken fillets . It comes with the sauce on , all they have to do is stick it in the oven then voila ” We all looked at him incredulous . Ok Stephen , as if that ’ s going to take off ! Little did we know then …
" Well it did take off , in fact people loved it . I remember clearly the first product I was taught to make was Chicken in Lemon & Coriander . Such a simple dish that is still in our counter EVERY SINGLE DAY ! And it ' s made in exactly the same way we did it 20 years ago . Maybe we were lucky that our first dish was so successful that it energised us to keep going for more . If it was a flop to begin with we might of thought it a waste of time thinking the customer just doesn ’ t want it with sauce on .
" The products kept coming , we would find inspiration everywhere . On TV , talking to customers , going on holiday , reading cookery books . It ' s still the same now . We might be out for a meal or see something on the TV and one of us will say “ that would go well in the shop .” The truth is we have far more failures than success . Something we try might just not work aesthetically or may not be practical to produce . Or it simply just wasn ’ t as nice as you thought it might be . But everything we try and test we are always learning , developing and honing our techniques . For the one product you buy , there has been multiple failed attempts . Tweaking and enhancing until we are happy and proud to sell it to our customers is a daily routine .
" What our experience has taught us is that in fact people love cooking at home . Like us they experiment with new recipes and share wonderful food with their families much like we do . The problem is that it ' s not always possible to get all the other stuff life throws at us and cook an amazing meal every night . In all honesty the last thing I feel like doing after a long day in the kitchen working is get the pans out at home again .
" That ' s why we all opt for an easier solution . Whether it ' s a ready meal or ordering in , it ' s nothing new and it ' s here to stay . Luckily as Butchers and many of our team experienced Chefs , we are ideally placed to offer our customers the solution they are craving . Home made quality meals using the best fresh produce available . It ' s guilt free , quick easy food you can trust for your family . As my Dad says “ just bang it in the oven .”
" From humble beginnings with our Chicken in Lemon & Coriander we now have hundreds of dishes in our repertoire . Not just meat products either . We have all sorts of vegetable side dishes that change with the seasons . All tried and tested with different flavour combinations finished to perfection . Mashed potato , sprouts , carrots , dirty wedges , chips the list goes on . The idea behind it is that you can pop in and design your own menu then and there . It ' s all packaged in recyclable containers that you cook in , then simply assemble on the plate . It ' s easy for you to mix things up for your families preferences as well .
" Back in 2019 , we won our first Golden Cleaver Award for the Best Ready Meal in the UK . The Golden Cleaver Awards are the biggest national butchers competitions held in the UK with hundreds of entries from all over mainland UK and Northern Ireland . It ' s like the Oscars of the Butchery world ! We were flabbergasted to get the news we were in the running , selected in the final three in the Best Ready Meal category . Out of hundreds of entries we were in the top three in the country , we couldn ’ t believe it . Needless to say we were over the moon to actually go on to win . Years of hard work and accumulated experience from the whole team made it possible . The winning dish was our Sticky Ribs & Wedges . It sounds quite an easy dish to make but it has many technical aspects . First the ribs are marinated in a tumbling machine that forces our marinade that has been specifically designed not just to flavour but add tenderness to the meat . This technique was picked up while on a trip to Holland . We had the pleasure of working with some of the best Butchers in the country at the Verstegan factory and HQ . Next the ribs are slow cooked to perfection , keeping all the juices to make a reduction for the finishing BBQ sauce . The sauce sticks to the ribs beautifully and will have you licking your fingers clean after . The wedges are coated with our Cajun rub and are the perfect accompaniment to the ribs that made it the Best Ready Meal in the UK 2019 at the Golden Cleaver Awards .
" This year sees the first Golden Cleaver Awards since 2019 due to COVID . And we were keen to repeat our previous success . It ' s really difficult to decide what to put forward for an entrée . We feel it has to above all be of the upmost quality . Hit the brief of being a ready meal , so an entire one dish meal . Have some technicality so that it relieves the consumer of a significant amount of work .
" We decided to go with our dish Duck al Orange . We have used Confit duck legs over recent years in many different ways . We have sold them individually in microwavable bags , shredded them for use with pancakes also made spring rolls with them . Carl who is an experienced Chef and now works as a Butcher for us has recently refined them into a complete dish adding dauphinoise potato , spring veg along with a duck jus and orange & mint glaze . It really brings the dish together and works in harmony with each other . It ' s working together constantly refining and enhancing that takes the dish to the next level . We are thrilled to have won the coveted prize again and it is testament to the hard work , talent and dedication the whole team bring to the table . We are extremely proud to officially be able provide our customers with the best ready meals the UK has to offer ."
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