Dannevirke: Father, son make history

Angus and Forbes Cameron, winners of the Steak of Origin competition this week. Photo / Supplied

An Angus sirloin from the farm of father and son Forbes and Angus Cameron at Pohangina was judged the nation's most tender and tasty steak at the Beef + Lamb New Zealand Steak of Origin grand final this week.

Forbes and his wife, Christine, farmed at Weber before moving to Halcombe and then buying their property at the top of the Pohangina Valley. The Camerons' win in the competition comes 11 years after their farm was devastated by the floods of 2004.

The Camerons have made history by being the first entrants to take out this competition and the Beef + Lamb New Zealand Golden Lamb Awards (Glammies) in 2008.

Forbes Cameron on the top rail of his stock yards on his Pohangina Valley farm which bore the brunt of the February 2004 flooding.

The Camerons had two finalists in the Steak of Origin, entering in the best of breed British with an Angus and the best of breed, crossbreed and other, with an Angus crossed with a Salers.

Well known for his outstanding stock, Mr Cameron also supplies rams to Pukemiro Station at Otope, east of Dannevirke, run by the ADB Williams Trust.

Judge and New Zealand Listener food columnist Lauraine Jacobs said it was a privilege to be involved in the judging of New Zealand's top steak.

"We judged each sirloin steak on aroma, juiciness, tenderness, texture and, of course, taste. The quality of the beef I tasted this evening was simply exceptional and is a true testament to the skill of our producers."

The Camerons take home the Beef + Lamb New Zealand Steak of Origin grand champion shield as well as $5000.

Steak of Origin

The competition process involved an initial assessment of the sirloin steak at Carne Technologies in Cambridge. Each steak is aged for three weeks before being tested for tenderness, pH, marbling and percentage cooking loss. The finalists (the top four from each of the five classes) are tasted at the grand final by a panel of judges to find the most tasty and tender steak in the country.