GUN Sydney retail butcher Brett Laws has claimed the inaugural World Butcher Wars championship title decided in Berkshire, England this week.

In its first year, the World Butcher Wars attracted 24 competitors from 14 countries covering Europe, North and South America and the Australasia region, to showcase and award the very best skills of butchers.

Assistant manager at Pryde Meats in the Sydney suburb of Narellan, Brett represented Australia alongside Gary Thompson.

World Butcher Wars was held at the historic Royal Ascot Racecourse as part of the UK’s Smoke and Fire Festival.

Competing butchers had 30 minutes to bone and prepare retail items from a side of lamb and a saddle of pork, to create a display of retail-ready butcher shop products.

Judging was based on knife skills, presentation and imagination. Judges were from New Zealand, Brazil, the UK and Australia, each with extensive knowledge and experience in the industry.

Brett’s display was themed around the Atlantis underworld – products included rolled and stuffed pork loin, pork belly and lamb legs, pork ‘cheesecake’ and lamb ‘sushi’ rolls. The display even included live goldfish.

He was selected to represent Australia in the competition five months ago.

“I accepted this invitation to better my skills for the trade and a chance to become the best butcher in the world,” Brett said.

“The day was crazy, we felt like superstars. I was nervous and excited to come up against some of the best butchers in the world. When I was announced as World Champion, it means so much to me and my family,” he said.

In judging the competition, one of the key organisers, Australia butcher Shannon Walker, was in awe of the standard of skills and presentation shown by the competitors.

“These guys have done an extremely great job and showcasing the skills that butchers use every day. We’re so proud of our butcher family,” he said.

Second place in the inaugural competition went to English butcher Ben Tindale, with Richard Megahy from Scotland third.

“A massive shout-out and thanks to our sponsors – International Craft Butchers, the Institute of Mea, Geisser Knives and Dunbia for our meat supply. Many of judges have given their time and support, so many thanks to them as well,” Shannon said.

Multiple championships

Inaugural World Butcher Wars champion Brett Law has been in the butchery industry his entire working life.

“I was born to be a butcher, my dad’s a butcher my brother a butcher,” he said. “I love to encourage young butchers/butchers around the world to follow their dreams and you can do anything if you put your mind to it.”

Brett is currently one of six butchers who make up the Makani Australian butchery team, which were runners-up in the last World Butchers Challenge teams event in Ireland in 2022. He is also a part of the national team to compete in the next World Butchers Challenge in France next year.

In local Australian competitions, he became the first butcher in Australia to win all three Butcher Wars competitions in the same year at Meatstock events in 2023 (Melbourne, Toowoomba and Sydney), and won the Master Butcher competition as part of a three-man team in New Zealand in 2022.