Steaks from ABP in Northern Ireland and its Kettyle Irish Foods business in Lisnaskea have secured a total of seven awards at the prestigious 2026 World Steak Challenge, including the titles of World’s Best Grass-Fed Fillet and Europe’s Best Steak.
The top titles of World’s Best Grass-Fed Fillet and Europe’s Best Steak were for a Wagyu Cross Holstein fillet produced by Austin O’Kane from Pomeroy in Co. Tryone for ABP. All the award-winning steaks were from beef supplied by Northern Irish family farms.
In addition to the two major titles, gold and silver medals were awarded for ABP fillet, rib-eye and sirloin cuts whilst its Kettyle Irish Foods brand won a gold for a grass-fed fillet; a sliver for a grass-fed rib-eye and a bronze for a grass-fed sirloin. The Kettyle Irish Foods steaks originated from Gill Hall Estate, Dromore where James and Bill Porter have created a unique strain of Angushorn by cross-breeding prime stock from the Old Glenort Angus herd with its Uppermill Shorthorn herd on the Gill Hall Farm.
The World Steak Challenge assesses entries in both raw and cooked form, with judging criteria including appearance, colour, marbling and fat trim consistency before cooked steaks are assessed for aroma, flavour, succulence, tenderness and texture.
The success of ABP and Kettyle in Northern Ireland forms part of a strong performance by ABP across the island of Ireland as a whole. ABP in the Republic of Ireland won 24 medals, including five Gold, 10 Silver and nine bronze medals, as well as the title of World’s Best Grass-Fed Sirloin. ABP’s overall success at this year’s event places it among the top award winners at this year’s competition, which brought together more than 450 steak entries from around the world and was judged through a blind tasting by more than 60 independent experts.
George Mullan, Managing Director of ABP in Northern Ireland said, “This is an exceptional achievement for ABP in Northern Ireland and our local farmer suppliers. It is a fantastic reflection of the quality and expertise across our supply chain and for the calibre of Northern Irish beef. To have a steak produced from cattle reared on a Northern Ireland family farm recognised as both the World’s Best Grass-Fed Fillet and Europe’s Best Steak is a tremendous endorsement of the work that goes into developing premium beef from farm through to fork.”
The World Steak Challenge is now an established international benchmark for steak quality, giving producers from around the world an opportunity to have their products assessed against internationally recognised criteria. The 2026 awards ceremony took place in Amsterdam following the independent judging process.