Bishop Burton College Butchery Apprentice Named One of UK’s Best at London Awards Ceremony
2 Mar 2026 |
Bishop Burton College, East Yorkshire is proud to announce that their Butchery apprentice Ashton Davis has been crowned Best Apprentice Showing Management Potential in a Manufacturing Environment at the national Institute of Meat (IoM) and Worshipful Company of Butchers Annual Prizegiving.
Bishop Burton College was also named Best Training Provider at the prestigious awards ceremony.
The ceremony, held on February 26th at the historic Butchers’ Hall in London, is the pinnacle of the meat industry calendar. Ashton Davis, who is honing his craft at Cranswick PLC, beat talented apprentices from across the country to secure this award.
In front of a record audience of over 150 invited guests, Ashton was presented with a certificate of achievement by IoM Chief Executive Dave Smith (F.Inst.M) and Gwyn Howells, Master of the Worshipful Company of Butchers. Along with the title, they received a £250 prize and a year’s honorary membership of the Institute of Meat.
The Annual Prizegiving, a cornerstone of the meat industry, is designed to recognise and reward the achievements of butchery apprentices, their training providers and employers. Nominations are vetted by a panel of industry experts, with only 12 categories awarded nationwide. The event is also where the next generation of Institute of Meat accredited Master Butchers is revealed.
Commenting on this years’ awards, Dave Smith, CEO and Fellow of the Institute of Meat and a Master Butcher since 2014 said,
‘Huge congratulations to Ashton and also of course to Bishop Burton and Cranswick PLC. Achieving this award has meant an exceptional amount of hard work and dedication from all three!
It’s fantastic to be celebrating today with our biggest ever audience. This is proof positive that there is a real buzz around the meat industry at the moment. Ashton is part of a forward thinking, innovative industry. With the continued support of their training provider and employer I am sure they will have a future just as bright as the industry itself.’
Paul Nicholson, from Bishop Burton College, who trained Ashton said:
‘We are incredibly proud to see Ashton recognised on a national stage. This award is a testament to their dedication, but it also speaks to the quality of our training for the butchery apprenticeship here at Bishop Burton College. We strive to provide our apprentices with the skills required to thrive in a modern industry, and seeing our students stand among the best in the country at Butchers' Hall is the ultimate reward.’
For information about the IoM/WCB Annual Prizegiving, or how to nominate an apprentice, please contact Sheryl Horne at the Institute of Meat, at info@instituteofmeat.org.
To find out more about butchery apprenticeship training in the locality contact Bishop Burton College at bishopburton.ac.uk.
