District of Viersen/Mönchengladbach/Rhine district of Neuss/Krefeld. Butchers’ guild awarded certificates after the stew test
The butchers from the region score with very high quality – this is proven by the results achieved in the stew and ready meals test of the Niederrhein butchers’ guild. The butcher’s shop Fander from Kempen won the coveted audience award.
During the trophy and certificate presentation on the premises of the Schillings country butcher’s shop in Grevenbroich, the specialist guild companies involved were able to take home numerous gold, silver and bronze certificates as well as trophies. “87 percent of the almost 60 products submitted achieved a gold rating,” said the deputy guild master Jakob Kohnen.
This is all the more important as the nine-strong jury tried and rated all the products anonymously. “The jurors did not know which dish came from which butcher’s shop – so the test was carried out in the strictest secrecy,” emphasized Thomas Gütgens, deputy general manager of the Niederrhein district craftsmen’s association. The jury included master butchers, veterinarians and cooks.
“Today, many people no longer cook the soup themselves, but still enjoy eating it. These masterfully handcrafted products can be bought in the guild specialist shop,” explained Gütgens. The butchers also received encouragement from district director Dirk Brügge from Rhein-Kreis Neuss: The guild is treading exactly the right path with its examination. It is important for the butcher’s trade to set a clear counterpoint against low-cost suppliers, Bruges explained. He added: “You used to have to feed people. Today you have to whet their appetite for valuable products.” It is important to pay attention to quality.
The customers of the Schillings butcher shop did the same, and they also rated the submitted stews and ready meals anonymously, using the same criteria as the jury. They liked the products from the Kempen natural butcher’s shop Fander the best, whether it was kale, boiled fillet in horseradish sauce, roast beef or braised knuckle meat. Together with his wife Irmgard, master butcher Michael Fander accepted the guild’s “public prize”.
“We are very happy, because the award recognizes what we stand for: We make delicious food from good products,” said Fander. He relies on old recipes and classic dishes “that take a lot of time”. According to Michael Fander, his creations are “also a very popular birthday present”, especially for older people who can no longer cook these complex dishes themselves. There are also “more modern things for younger people”, such as ox cheeks or duck à l’orange.
In addition to the audience award, Fander received six gold certificates and one bronze award for the seven products submitted. The other results: Butcher Heiss (Grefrath): four gold, two bronze; Landfleischerei Helbig (Tönisvorst): seven times gold; Butcher Büssing (Neuss): two gold, one silver; Butcher Abelen (Nettetal): four gold, two bronze; Butcher Schillings (Grevenbroich): five gold, two silver, one bronze; Butcher Heinen (Krefeld): two gold, one silver; Butchery Oleszynski (Meerbusch): five times gold, four times silver; Butcher Baumanns (Mönchengladbach): five gold, one bronze.
Superintendent Willi Schillings was satisfied with the test: “It was a premiere and we had a good response.” The Niederrhein butchers’ guild has already planned further campaigns, the next being the ham test at the beginning of the asparagus season.
