World Butchers' Challenge

“The goal of the national team is to make people in the butchery industry more visible,” says Jón Gísli Jónsson, a member of the national butchery team, having just returned home from his first international competition with the team. It is made up of our most skilled butchers. The team captain is Friðrik Þór Erlingsson, and along with him and Jón, the team includes Kristján Hallur Leifsson, a visual designer; Jóhann Sigurbjarnarson, who handles fillings and decorations; Róbert Skarphéðinsson, a deboning specialist; and last but not least, Bjarki Freyr Sigurjónsson, a sausage maker.

Iceland was the only Nordic nation this time, but a total of 13 nations took part in the competition, which was magnificent. Germany emerged as the winner, but our men are determined to return and get on the podium next time.

A lot of time has gone into preparation, as the competition was originally supposed to take place in 2020. Earlier that year, the team had competed against the Irish national team, who were the reigning world champions at the time, and the Icelandic team was surprisingly close to them in points. “After that competition, we were just on top of the world and full of confidence,” says Jón Gísli. “We were definitely ready to compete then,” he added.

The raw materials they received in the competition were ½ a cow, ½ a pig, 1 lamb, and 5 chickens. Gísli specifically mentions that the texture of the meat was peculiar and completely different from Icelandic raw materials, but they did have their own tools, which is an absolute necessity in a competition like this.

The national team's theme was the volcanic eruption in Meradalir, and they were judged on teamwork, work methods, utilisation, originality, and hygiene.

Jón Gísli runs a very informative and entertaining Instagram account that we encourage everyone to check out. Those interested can click here