The event was a joint initiative by England’s Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) Beef & Lamb, the Cyprus Chefs’ Association (CCA) and Intercollege (University of Nicosia). The first of the two workshops took place in the new gastronomy centre of the CCA in Limassol.
Around 42 local chefs received demonstrations and were given talks about how best to cut the meat in innovative ways and learnt about the farm-to-plate ethos of Quality Standard Mark (QSM) beef. The workshop then headed to the University of Nicosia where 80 catering students received the same education experience.
‘Wealthy island’
“Cyprus is a small but wealthy island for our beef exports,” explained Jean-Pierre Garnier, export manager for AHDB. “It has a strong ex-pat community, holidaymakers and residents with a high net disposable income which means there is demand for the higher end cuts. Following a difficult few years, the Cypriot economy has rebounded and the island is now welcoming a record number of tourists.
“Importantly, our sales of premium beef at retail and foodservice are rising steadily, despite strong competition from beef of other regions. Cyprus is one of the destinations in the growing portfolio of countries where we can sell our products.”
This is the fourth time AHDB Beef & Lamb has organised these events, with the first course being held in 2011 and every two years following. Its success has led to the first butchery course on the island.