As a butcher’s daughter you’ll understand that I have a very soft spot for independent butchers, I just can’t help that. Obviously over the years, our shopping habits have changed dramatically as supermarkets still maintain their stranglehold with two German supermarkets added to this mix. Yet despite having lots of supermarkets to choose from I’m still impressed with many local butchers on our high street. They excel on service, product variety and the advice and help that they offer. It goes without saying that our butchers need ongoing support from HCC, Hybi Cig Cymru, Meat Promotion Wales, but of course they cannot survive and grow their businesses without our regular custom. When I visit a high street butcher I’m impressed with how they cleverly gear up for the BBQ season and create ‘dishes’ that are quick and easy to prepare for those that feel they haven’t much time for cooking or really can’t be bothered! Ten out of ten for those butchers that are also selling vegetables at the front of their shops and for those that have the space, have generated a mini deli section. For me anything that makes the shopping experience easier and friendlier is a winner. All I ask is please give your local butcher a try because if you don’t, the chances are Welsh butcher numbers will continue to dwindle and butchers will quickly become as rare as hen’s teeth!
Andrew Rees, Narbeth
Independent butchers play a key role in local communities. Providing a friendly service to residents and getting involved in local events and organisations. You will get personal advice on preparing and cooking meat. Also, importantly how to store meat. Local independent butchers see providing this advice as an important part of their role. Butchers play a vital role in local economic development. We support and promote local produce. Buying off local Farms and displaying the traceability of the meat is very important to us. Local independent butchers play a vital role in the High Street which extends beyond just the sale of meat. Providing we focus on quality and provenance of our meat and ensure that our standards of customer service exceed those available at larger retailers there will always be a future for us.
Will Lloyd, Machynlleth
I’ve been asked about meat production in Wales. The last 40 years has been a real rollercoaster with EEC Regulations, foot and mouth disease, BSE, more veterinary controls, and generally more costs to run a small abattoir / cutting plant and retail meat business. But if you stay in something long enough ‘the wheel goes round’ meaning in the ‘80s they wanted to close all small abattoirs and the way The Ministry Of Agriculture tried to do this was to put massive costs on these old buildings, making sure that the spending of those hundreds of thousands would not be justified with the small throughput the abattoirs had.
I was 19 and dangerous, meaning that I was not going to see a long established, well-run family business closed by people with clipboards.
After spending over £280K to be compliant I am proud of my facilities and was glad that my late father ‘Billo’ saw and appreciated the effort both mentally and financially. He was proud of me and what we had achieved.
My dad used to sell what he wanted, I sell what the customer wants, which is a big difference.
Our shop in Machynlleth caters for traditional comfort foodies with lambs liver, neck of lamb cawl, roasted crackled belly pork squares to the ‘new’ younger housewives who want ‘more ready meats’ such as lamb steaks in garlic and rosemary, minted lamb racks, pork in sweet chilli or lime and chilli and a host of sausage from Welsh dragon, pork and leek, lamb and mint, beef and horseradish.
Cater for ‘traditional and new’ but be different from the enemy!
All of a sudden. it’s ‘OK ya’ to have a small abattoir in your town as people boast the “leg of mountain lamb that we are having for Sunday lunch comes from Huw Thomas, Nant Y Gaseg Farm”, likewise the “slow cooked shoulder of Salt Marsh lamb comes from Rees Brothers, Penmaenbach Pennal”. Both these farms are about 5 – 6 miles from our abattoir.
Traceable, local, low carbon footprint product and completely sustainable, we are doing it and have been for 40 years or Tesco and Co would have swallowed us up and do you know, by doing it our way we are helping to save the planet – as an aside. Is this ok? Please do use your local butcher or risk losing them.
Tom Samways, Cardigan
I first started butchery 22 years ago at the age of 14. There have been many changes over the years which have seen butchers shops evolve from simply selling just your standard pork chops and mince to now the convenient oven ready range. We first started doing fresh oven ready foods about 6 years ago and since then have seen a really a massive increase from customers who want good quality, freshly made and easy to cook meals. Gone are the days when ‘the wife’ will spend all day at home looking after the children. Most households these days have 2 full time workers so we look to offer good quality, convenient food that doesn’t cost the earth. I genuinely think that if we hadn’t gone down this route then the shop in Cardigan wouldn’t be here today.
The advantage of taking this route is that people who come into the shop for our oven ready foods will also buy all the usual cuts. They also buy steaks, sausages and bacon – all their meat for the week because they put their trust our products. We’ve seen a massive increase in trade in the amount of steaks we sell and that’s because we’ve installed a Dry Ager. Initially our customers weren’t sure what to make of it as no-one else in the area had one. But our customers trusted us and once they had tasted the finished steaks they were amazed with the flavour.
Our business is built on our personal service, sourcing the product locally and giving our customers a reason to trust us. One of the biggest changes I’ve witnessed in butchery which I never thought I’d see is how butchers are now working with each other. Gone are the days where your biggest competitor is the butcher down the road. Our biggest competition is the supermarkets who drive down the price for the farmer to offer cheap meat. Four times a year myself and many butchers from around the country get together for a premier Welsh butchers’ meeting where we swap ideas, recipes and have chats about what’s selling, what’s new and where the trade is going. The club itself is expanding with every meeting and it’s great to see that butchers are thriving across the UK. I’ve worked in the same shop for the last 20 years and took that shop over just 2 years ago. I think with the help of other butchers and a passion for the job there’s no reason why we can’t do another 20 years.
Visit: meatpromotion.wales
