Ireland wins World’s Best Steak award
Team Ireland at the World Steak Challenge awards ceremony held in London on Monday night.
An Irish grass-fed sirloin has been crowned the 'World’s Best Steak' at this year’s World Steak Challenge.
Dawn Meats and Lidl won the coveted award for a grass-fed Angus sirloin, sold by Lidl in Ireland and from cattle bred in Co Waterford.
Commenting on the winning steak, the judges said: “The tenderness is similar to the tenderloin, but it also carries a wonderful taste similar to a ribeye”, adding that it “offers the best in terms of texture and flavour.”
The World Steak Challenge is now in its 11th year and is a recognised stamp of quality to support world-class steak production on a global platform. This year’s judging panel, comprising more than 60 international experts, assessed entries on both raw and cooked criteria.
It was a good year for Ireland, which took home a record-breaking 68 medals at the World Steak Challenge held in London this week.
With 24 gold medals, Ireland was the top-performing country overall. Along with winning the World’s Best Steak, Dawn Meats secured 11 gold medals for Ireland at the competition.
Neil Lanigan, commercial manager with Dawn Meats, said: “Dawn Meats is thrilled to have won World's Best Steak at the World Steak Competition. This award goes out to our farmers and producers. It's a massive effort, and this award is a huge win for everyone in Irish beef. This award is an independent endorsement of our beef quality, reflecting the hard work of our team and the trust our customers place in us.”
Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland chief executive Robert Ryan added: “Together with our valued Irish supplier, Dawn Meats, we’re immensely proud our own-brand Irish grass-fed steak has been recognised as World’s Best Steak at the World Steak Challenge… This recognition underscores our strong commitment to providing world-class Irish produce at the best value on the market to shoppers across the country.”
Other Irish finalists included ABP Foodgroup Ireland, Ashbourne Meats, Liffey Meats and Redmond Farm.
