Tom Wood Artisan Butcher Est 2015

Boning a full shoulder of pork, preparing and displaying it in front of a live audience was just one of the challenges head butcher Tom Wood faced in a competition in 2015 to find the UK’s best butchers. Tom who is the managing director of Tom Wood Artisan Butchers Ltd, applied to take part in the contest at London’s International Food Exhibition back in 2015. There was around 50 Butchers competing from all over the UK for five places on The British Butchery Team. It was tough but I thoroughly enjoyed it, “says tom, who was able to showcase the skills he has learned during his career. “I learnt my trade at Alpes in clitheroe but butchery has been in my family for longer than I can remember. I was fortunate enough to have been brought up within the industry from knee high and meat is my passion. I have learnt my trade from working with a vast array of butchers by watching and talking to them.”

Captain of the British Beefeaters known as (Team GB)

The World Butchers Challenge is now in its seventh year and Tom who has now been retained in the team for the last 3 years has worked his way through the ranks to Captain The British Beefeaters known as (Team GB). It was a big step for myself having never taken part in any butchery competitions I decided to enter the biggest one in the industry.
I thought maybe I should of entered something smaller to start off with!” joked Tom. Having Boned the full pork shoulder and showing the judges exactly what Tom does at Tom Wood Artisan Butchers during his normal working day, he was selected for Team GB to compete against the best butcher around the world. “the judges look for various things including clean bones, presentation, innovation and speed.” Explains Tom, who has introduced unusual and different cuts including the Pork Tomahawk and Pork mini flat irons. “you really have to use your imagination and while butchery is an excat skill in some ways, the way you diversify and utilise a whole carcass of meat is important too.

Tom Wood never settles for second best!

Tom Wood never settles for second best and is constantly striving about how the business can better its self by giving consumers what they want to attract new customers and to keep them coming back. “I go home at night and I’m still thinking about it and discuss it with my work colleagues – see what they think, listen to their suggestions. I love it.”
Tom Who worked for his father’s company Bowland Foods Ltd, which buys and sells meat wholesale from all local auctions, supporting British farmers really is the future. “when I qualified for the GB Team the speed and skills I had learnt through working at my fathers business really played a part.” Tom who is a fully qualified vocational assessor mentors the youngsters coming into not only the business or trade but the industry of the UK whole farming structure, Tom on a regular basis demonstrates his skills by giving various demonstrations at agricultural shows and breed societys.

Having recently helped the Farmers Guardian by letting them make a video on explaining and demonstrating on how to butcher a whole lamb carcass, it was a huge hit by reaching 2.7 MILLION views.
As you’d expect from someone as determined as Tom, he has big ambitions. As well as keeping standards high at Tom Wood Artisan Butcher Ltd, he dreams of running a butchery and cooking school and passing on his skills to the younger generations as way of keeping the industry thriving.

“I Hope you enjoy the new website, there will be lots of new exciting cuts and innovative products to get those taste bud tingling with some new easy step by step recipe guides.”
“your passion is my passion, enjoy” Tom Wood