Riley Hall never thought he would grow up to be a butcher — especially not as the son of a vegetarian.
But as soon as he started doing it, he knew that he loved it.
"It’s more than just cutting meat to me," he said.
"It takes up a lot of your life to be honest trying to find the perfect recipe, trying to think of something new that no-one else has thought of before and always trying to be better at what you do."
The Gardens New World apprentice butcher is among 12 New Zealand butchers, and two from Dunedin, to have qualified for the 2024 National Butchery Awards — a national butchery competition to be held in Auckland later this year.
Mr Hall, a first time competitor who began his apprenticeship a year and a-half ago, will be joined by Isaac Webster, of Links Quality Meats, who now has seven previous competitions under his belt.
The pair earned a spot in the grand finals after they placed first in the Pact Packaging Young Butcher and ANZCO Foods Butcher Apprentice categories respectively, in the lower South Island regional heats held in Dunedin recently.
Competitors needed to break down a beef short loin, whole pork leg, square-cut lamb shoulder and two chicken barrels into a display of value-added products — all within a two-hour time limit.
