Wick hotelier Murray Lamont bought the lamb and cattle champions at the Caithness Livestock Centre prime stock show and sale yesterday for the 14th successive year.
Mr Lamont, who runs the Mackays Hotel and the acclaimed No 1 Bistro on Wick’s Ebenezer Place, the world’s shortest street, paid £2,600 for James Gunn’s cattle champion and £350 a piece for the supreme pair of lambs from Calum and Vivienne Angus at the event held by Aberdeen and Northern Marts at Quoybrae.
Mr Mackay said the beef from the champion would be properly hung and matured and go on sale in his popular bistro early in the new year. The lamb will also be served up there.
The cattle champion from James, 19, of Whitefield, Reiss, was a 585kg (1,289lb) 19-month-old Limousin cross heifer. She was bought out of Dingwall in July.
James was winning the open supreme for the first time, although he was Young Farmers’ champion last year.
The reserve overall was a 694kg (1,529lb) 19-month-old pure Limousin bullock from Willie Oag, of Brims Mains, Thurso. He was home-bred, by Wilodge Tonka and out of pedigree Limousin, one of 450 pure and commercial cows run by Mr Oag. The bullock made £1,863 to meat processor ABP Perth.
The Young Farmers’ championship was won for a second time by Bower YFC member William Barnetson, 23, of Lynegar, Watten. Out for him was a 675kg (1,487lb) 20-month-old Limousin cross heifer which made £2,000 to butcher and meat processor John M. Munro, Dingwall.
She was bought out of Stirling with her dam by the Sutherlands, of Stainland and Sibmister Farm, Thurso, and then acquired in the spring by Mr Barnetson. James was reserve in the Young Farmers with a 585kg (1,289lb) Limousin cross bullock which made £1,755 to ABP. He was bred in Caithness and bought at Quoybrae.
The lambs from Mr and Mrs Angus, of West Mey, Mey, were home-bred Beltex and scaled 49kg (107lb). It was the couple’s second lamb supreme in a week as last Tuesday they won the prime championship for an unprecedented seventh time at the Aberdeen Christmas Classic.