With 24 gold medals, Ireland was the top-performing country overall and won the grand prize for Irish grass fed steak. The awards showcase the ‘exceptional quality’ of Ireland’s grass-fed beef from heritage breeds.

Dawn Meats and Lidl won the coveted award of the World’s Best Steak for a grass fed Angus sirloin. The steak is sold by Lidl in Ireland and comes from cattle bred in Waterford. Dawn Meats secured 11 gold medals for Ireland at the competition.

The judges said: “The tenderness is similar to the tenderloin but it also carries a wonderful taste similar to a ribeye. [It] offers the best in terms of texture and flavour.”

The World Steak Challenge, launched in 2015, is a recognised stamp of quality to support world-class steak production on a global platform, giving steak producers from across the world a unique opportunity to benchmark product quality, breed credentials and processing standards on the international stage.

Neil Lanigan, commercial manager with Dawn Meats, said: “Dawn Meats is thrilled to have won World's Best Steak at the World Steak Competition. We are so passionate about our beef so to win the award for Europe's Best Steak and then to go on to win the World's Best Steak is unbelievable. This award goes out to our farmers and producers. It's a massive effort and this award is a huge win for everyone in Irish beef.

“This award is an independent endorsement of our beef quality, reflecting the hard work of our team and the trust our customers place in us. Irish beef is full of flavour, tenderness and juiciness – qualities that chefs and retailers around the world have come to rely on.”