BPEX Pork product awarded to North Yorkshire Co.

- Published: 08 March, 2007

A north Yorkshire company scooped the award for the Pork Product of the Year at the British Pig Executive BPEX competition, held at Butcher's Hall, in London.

A north Yorkshire company scooped the award for the Pork Product of the Year at the British Pig Executive BPEX competition, held at Butcher's Hall in London.

Holmesterne Foods, based in Richmond, won the accolade with its twice braised Pork Shank with Pea Jus.

The company also collected silver medals for its belly pork in BBQ sauce and pork shank with cider and apple sauce.

Managing director of Holmesterne Foods, Keith Tindell, said: "The twice braised pork shank is part of our innovative range of retort products that are really taking off in the food service sector.

"Retort cooking technology is similar to traditional canning, and allows us to make meals without additives or preservatives. The meals are high-pressure steam cooked in special airtight pouches."

"This type of cooking really suits meats like pork shanks, which improve in flavour and tenderness when cooked at high temperatures for a long time."

He said the result was a quality premium product that was very convenient to use.

"The pouches are for ambient storage and have a 12 month shelf life, so they're very flexible for a wide range of catering needs and perfect for pubs," Tindell added.

The awards were hosted by the British Pig Executive (BPEX) and attracted more than 100 entries.

Tindell said: "Keeping on top of consumer trends, is key to our business. Lamb shanks have been big business over the last few years, so it made sense to extend this to pork shanks.

"Spotting opportunities before they become obvious a sign of an innovative food business."