Nikita Somma, an apprentice with Sykes House Farm of Wetherby, and studying at Leeds City College, was named Best Retailer Butchery Apprentice and Champion Meat Apprentice of the Year, at the Institute of Meat (IoM) and Worshipful Company of Butchers Annual Prizegiving, held at Butchers Hall in London, on 26th February.
Nikita, competed against apprentices from around the country and was presented with their certificate of achievement by Institute of Meat Chief Executive, Dave Smith (F.Inst.M), and Gwyn Howells, Master of the Worshipful Company of Butchers. Nikita was also awarded a cheque to the value of £250 and a year’s honorary membership of the Institute of Meat.
The Annual Prizegiving is a popular and longstanding event in the meat industry calendar. It was established over 30 years ago to recognise and celebrate the achievement of apprentices, their employers, and training providers.
Nominations are carefully considered by the IoM and industry experts before the final winners are selected. Awards are given in twelve categories to apprentices and organisations from across the country. A highlight of the day is that the award-winning apprentices also get to witness a select few highly accomplished butchers receiving the coveted Institute of Meat accredited Master Butcher status.
Commenting on this years’ awards, CEO, Dave Smith, himself a Fellow of the Institute of Meat and an IoM accredited Master Butcher, said:
Achieving this award means Nikita has impressed a panel of expert judges who collectively have decades of meat industry experience. Not an easy task. For this, they should be very proud. I’m delighted to congratulate them today and to welcome them into the Institute of Meat. I hope today’s success and the opportunities IoM membership brings will spur them on to even greater achievements in the future.
Rachael Hirst, Director at Sykes House Farm said:
Everyone here at Sykes House Farm is incredibly proud of Nikita’s hard work, dedication and passion for the craft of butchery. The future of British butchery is certainly bright!
