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Guild of Q Butchers

National Federation of Meat and Food Retailers



The Guild of Fine Food Retailers

Quality Meat Scotland
QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER MARCH 2010

 It’s March and the crocuses have begun to peek out of the ground opposite the shop. When the crocuses appear, it gives a little reminder that spring is just around the corner, and, after the winter that we have had, it will be most welcome!

One of the most important dates in the calendar, year on year is Mothering Sunday. It is a date that we can all relate to as we all have or have had them. It is essential that it is a celebratory occasion and take the opportunity to give them our thanks. We are usually asked to prepare something special for that particular weekend and we are delighted to do that. Please remember to speak to us in good time should you require us to reserve something for you.

Just three weeks after Mothering Sunday is the Easter celebration. We have already ordered our beef requirements for that weekend as we are keen to make sure that all the beef is fully matured for you so that it is at its peak of condition. If you would like a rib, piece of sirloin or a joint of topside, please ask for an order form so that we can facilitate your requirements. Because of the current economic climate, it will be necessary to place orders for Kellybronze turkeys, as we will only be buying to order. We shall have traditional white turkeys available, and as well, various turkey cuts ie butterfly, saddle, crown and boneless breast joints. On the subject of Easter, may I remind you that we will be closed on the Tuesday 6th following Easter Monday re-opening on Wednesday 7th.

As we are now well into the 21st century, I am sure that you are all aware of the benefits of the world wide web in general and email in particular. I have noted that many businesses are using email contact to keep their customers up to date with what is occurring within the business. It is my intention to do my bit for the environment by circulating our newsletter by email, thereby helping to save the planet! It will also be useful as a means of letting you know of any special offers or promotions that we are running.

If you would like to be contacted in this way, would you please click here and we will add you to our database.

For your peace of mind, we are registered with Information Commissioner and you can be assured that we will not pass on your details to any other person or organisation without your permission.

Chrissie and I will shortly be going to visit Rungis Market (on the outskirts of Paris) and we hope to be able to find some inspirational ideas to incorporate in our business. If not, we’ll just try to have a good time!

We look forward to seeing you soon.



QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2010

 Well, another proper winter. That makes two in a row (are we all convinced about global warming? Answers on a postcard please)! That’s meant that we have continued to sell plenty of casserole meat, ox tail and those delightful slow cook comfort foods. On reflection I think that I would still prefer it to be a little warmer.

The month of February is usually quite a dismal one with all the fun and excitement of Christmas and the New Year a distant memory, and spring and summer seeming a long way off. However, with the lighter mornings and evenings, things are beginning to turn around and with Valentines Day in the middle of the month it gives us all the opportunity spoil ourselves with a romantic meal.

Naturally these days everything is hyped up in the press, but even so I still think that days like Valentines Day are worth celebrating. As with all special days, eating out at a restaurant can be difficult to book. It can also be a bit more expensive than usual. So why not spoil yourselves with something special to cook at home. We shall be able to supply you with fantastic steaks, properly matured to perfection, porterhouse, rump, rib eye and, of course, fillet (incidentally we supplied a couple of the contenders in 'Come Dine with Me' with some of our excellent fillet recently. I haven’t seen the programme myself, but it is apparently very popular). I digress, so back to Valentines Day. We will also be having some special products for you to try, for instance, stuffed chicken breast fillets, marinated pork and lamb steaks and duck breast fillets. Also, we shall have our award winning Porco Pancetta and for something a little different beef olives or stuffed rack of French trimmed pork loin. The pork is rare breed Royal Berkshire and is supplied by Richard Stacey of Scotts Hall Farm at Canewdon.

If there is anything special that you would like us to produce for you, please don’t hesitate to ask, and if there is something that you know that you would particularly like, please let us know in advance so that we can reserve it for you.

Have you tried any of our new sausages lately? We try to ring the changes, and recently we have had Italian, Thai, curry, Toulouse, veal, pork, apple & sage and also pork with haggis. Just try something different and tickle those taste buds, I’m sure that you won’t be disappointed. Most Saturday mornings we cook off some for tasting so if you are an early bird you can 'have a try before you buy'.

The new Q Guild magazine 'Countryside Food Uncovered' is in store now, and is very interesting. Please pick one up when you are next in or ask for it if there are none on show. If you could give us some feedback on it I would be grateful.

Eat to live and more especially live to eat!!



QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2010

 First off, a big THANK YOU to all our regular customers for your custom and support over the last year in general and during the particularly hectic Christmas and New Year period. Your patience and understanding of the difficulties we face when serving so many more people than usual is really appreciated. We try to keep the inconvenience to a minimum and hopefully we succeeded. We had a particularly busy trade and, unusually, sold out of some products. Fortunately most of you did order your requirements and everyone that ordered was supplied. However, there were some customers who were left disappointed and we do apologise for that but it is very difficult to judge exactly how much will be required of every product.

Most of you will have received a £5.00 voucher to use in January when you spend just £25.00 or more. I sincerely hope you will take advantage of this as it is in some way our saying thank you for your custom. If you didn’t receive one, please mention it to Andy or myself and we will endeavour to find one for you. The vouchers are restricted for use in January only and the £25.00 must be spent in one visit. There is a limit of one voucher per household and the voucher must be completed in full. We look forward to as many of you as possible using them.

We sold quite a lot of haggises for New Year, and will be supplying them later in January for the celebration of Burn’s Night. The official date is 25th, but 23rd is the nearest Saturday. Please let us know if you would like us to reserve one or two for you. They weigh approximately 500grams (just over a pound) and one can be used for two or three as a main course or five or six as a starter. They are traditionally accompanied by neeps and tatties and that wonderful golden liquor for which Scotland is so well known.

There has been quite a lot of interest in our range of meats for slower cooking and so I am happy to remind you of the good value that they offer. This time of the year and the current cold weather are particularly suited to their use. A long slow cook (or two) makes for hearty and warming food. At the moment we can offer brisket plain for pot roasting or salted for boiling, ox cheek (a particular favourite of many celebrity chefs, and me incidentally), ox tail, leg or shin of beef, stewing lamb and if you are really adventurous, pigs trotters and cheek. Just speak to Andy or myself for advice or Google them for a recipe if you have nothing else to do!

Finally, the Q Guild of which we are members are looking to improve customer awareness of our existence and to that end are embarking on a new marketing exercise which will encompass a new quarterly magazine (due out in January), and more exciting recipes and products. We shall be endeavouring to maintain our standards of excellence throughout the year but if you feel that there is anything you feel could be improved upon, please let us know. Your input is valued and appreciated.

I think that I have gone on long enough, so will finish by wishing you all a Happy, Healthy and Peaceful New Year.



QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2009

 Christmas is coming, quicker than you think! To avoid any disappointment, please pick up an order form and return it as soon as possible. We shall be supplying the usual quality produce including the magnificent award winning Kellybronze turkeys. Fully matured Scotch Beef is a perennial favourite, but early ordering is strongly recommended if you want a rib roast. These are particularly popular and as we mature them for at least three weeks we cannot guarantee availability after the first week in December.

(Mentioning beef, Chrissie and I are flying up to one of our Scotch Beef suppliers before Christmas and will be visiting one of the farms where our beef is sourced. I am looking forward to being able to tell him how impressed my customers are with his cattle). We shall also be having free range geese, ducks and chicken and some superb local pork from Canewdon. Although we always have plenty of sausages, stuffing and bacon, we ask you to order them to give us an idea of what will be required. Obviously we are much busier than usual and need to organise ourselves in good time so as to satisfy everyone’s needs.

As you may have noticed on the back of the previous newsletter we were again successful in the prestigious annual Smithfield awards. These awards are something of which we are very proud. All of the products entered are studied by independent judges and given marks for appearance (raw and cooked), texture and most importantly taste. We were very pleased to receive 8 awards from the 9 products that we entered. We will continue to strive to produce the finest products that we can for your enjoyment. Please let us know your opinions on our products as you are the people that really count! I attended the awards lunch at the excellent Butchers’ Hall at Smithfield and was presented with my awards by celebrity chef Brian Turner. He is (like us) passionate about his chosen career and was a very interesting man with whom to speak. I thoroughly enjoyed the occasion and look forward to more success next year.

Most of you will have noticed our new member of staff. Liz (or Steve as she is known at times, (don’t ask)), has joined us on a part time basis to cover some of the occasions that I am away from the shop. I am sure that you will all enjoy her personality and effort as much as we do.

We have by dint of the number of you asking, begun to source and stock some less popular, but very tasty, cuts of meat. Some of these are well known and others have been mentioned by adventurous chefs keen to exploit the lesser known and cheaper cuts of meat. Most of them require longer cooking, but, you don’t have to stand and watch them cook, once you started the process you can go off and do something else, like, put your feet up with a good book and a glass of wine! Among the cuts we have, or can obtain, are ox tail, ox cheek, fresh brisket for pot roasting or salt brisket for boiling, lamb shanks, pork cheek (chaps) and pork trotters. Why not be a bit adventurous and give something different a try?

I will take this opportunity to thank you for your custom and support in the past year and wish you all a happy, healthy and peaceful Christmas and New Year.

Toodle Pip!



QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 2009

 It’s another month and, therefore, another newsletter. It is said that as you get older the time passes more quickly and I am beginning to believe that it is true. It seems incredible that we are now into November and needing to talk about Christmas plans.

We are now well into the game season, and to add to the superb Balmoral venison, we have a selection of feathered game from Badnock’s Farm, Asheldham, on the Dengie peninsular. These include; Partridge, Pheasant, Pigeon, Widgeon, Teal and Mallard and the occasional Hare as well as Rabbits. Please speak to us if you would like to try any of these. There are plenty of recipes available online (if you do not have internet access we will be pleased to download and print some for you).

This year Thanksgiving Day in USA is 26 November and if any of you have some American relations visiting and require a turkey, would you please let us know the week before.

Now it is time to mention Christmas. As usual, we will be having our printed order forms available from the 9 November onwards.

I am pleased to announce that at the Quality British Turkey Awards the Kellybronze Turkey won the Best Traditional Christmas Product. This is the third year running that Kelly’s have won a major award. We are very proud to be associated with their success and we will be stocking them again this year. The good news is that we shall be holding the prices at the same level as last year. Another innovation they have made is the Demi Kellybronze, which is suitable for the smaller family. It is a full half of a turkey with the giblets included to make the superb gravy to go with it. We did sell some last year and they seemed to be very well received, so if you don’t want a whole bird it could well be suitable for you.

We will be stocking the geese from the same farm as usual and these too we are holding at last year’s prices. It has been a difficult year this year but we will not be compromising on the quality of what we sell for the sake of getting some thing cheaper. We will do our best to help you if you require guidance so please feel free to ask our advice. Toodle Pip!



QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER AUTUMN 2009

 Hopefully we will have had a splendid Bank Holiday weekend as it is the last break before Christmas (I didn’t really want to mention that, but it is true), and please don’t forget that we will be closed on Tuesday 1 September.

Chrissie and I had a lovely few days with our daughter and son-in-law in Toronto. The weather there has also been under par with more rain than usual, but warmer than here. Whilst there we had a weekend in Kingston and visited a restaurant called "Lukes" where we had an amazing meal. It was what could be termed an avant garde menu with some resemblance to the Heston Blumenthal style of cooking. The incredible thing is that the chef is just 18 years old! If you are interested in this style of cooking I can recommend a look at his website which is www.lukesgastronomy.com

Another pleasant happening while we were away was that a very kind customer logged on to www.essexgourmet.co.uk and left very kind comments about us. This is a very good website with which we are pleased to be associated. If anyone else is inclined to, we would appreciate your sending in a review. Every little helps as the saying goes.

We now have in stock some of the saltmarsh lamb from Edward Hull on Foulness Island. It is delicious and is highly recommended by those that have bought some already. We are also particularly pleased with the lamb we get from Mr Webb in Warwickshire, which has been exceptionally consistent over the last 4 to 5 years. The price of lamb has been higher this year due to the amount being exported and the fact that there are not so many being produced as there were in recent years but they are a little cheaper than they were, so now is a good time to buy it again.

In the deli section we are trying a couple of new lines. We are trying a selection of goat’s cheese from Bob and Sally Kirk’s goat herd at Springstep Dairy at Mundon Hall Farm, Maldon. There are two soft cheeses (one plain and one with garlic) and two hard cheeses (a cheddar style and the same cheese but smoked). We are also stocking an excellent farmhouse cheddar from the only producer of cheddar in the Cheddar Gorge. It is made by John Spencer and is superb. It has a good, strong, full flavour with a long aftertaste. If you like your cheddar with a bite, this is the one for you.

After the weekend it may be time to consider some different menus for the cooler weather. The Madhuban curry sauces are a really easy way to bring variety to your meals without too much effort. Andy and I have tried several of them and have been extremely pleased with the quality. Time to go now, so don’t forget to eat well and stay healthy!



QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2009

 It’s a shame about the weather forecasters getting it wrong, again! Although it hasn’t been as depressing as last year, there has certainly been a distinct lack of lovely hot summer days. There have been sufficient decent weekends that there have been a lot of you barbecuing this year, which is good. I’ve even had several barbecues myself (all in the process of quality control and research you understand). In the main I have been very satisfied with our new range of products, and, I am pleased to say, so do most of you that have tried them. It doesn’t really matter what we think, however, as it is you the customer that decides what is successful, so your input is very valuable. I will take this opportunity of mentioning my thanks to those of you that have reported back to us. Your suggestions and comments, favourable or unfavourable are most welcome and valued. I would also like to thank those of you that give us advance notice of your requirements, it really does help everything to run more smoothly. This is especially relevant at the moment as holiday time is now upon us. Andy and I will be having days off here and there, (mine are mostly there, with the distance our girls decided to put between us and them), so advance notice is most welcome, even 24 hours is a big help.

At the mention of holidays, it is August Bank Holiday at the end of the month, and as is our usual custom, we will be closed on the Tuesday following Bank Holiday Monday ie September 1st.

The passage of time never ceases to amaze, and it was only recently that I realised that I started my business in the Ridgeway 30 years ago this year. I must say that I find it remarkable at how quickly the time has gone. I am very pleased to note that I am still serving several of my original customers, which is most pleasing. There have been lots of changes over the years, some for the better and some not so, but I am happy that we have managed to survive all the changes and that there are still plenty of you that appreciate what we offer. Thank you all very much. I sincerely hope that we can continue to be of service for the foreseeable future. Be assured that the pursuit of excellence is still my aim, and I am constantly looking for ways to improve. To that end Andy and I are hoping to attend another Fine Food Show next month to see if we can source any more products. We were successful last year so I am hopeful again this time.

In the meantime, our newer ranges of products seem to be well received, in particular the traditional sauces from Atkins & Potts and the curry sauces from Madhuban. If you haven’t yet tried them I can recommend them highly having been taste testing them over the last few weeks.

I have been told by my supplier that the saltmarsh lamb from Foulness Island will be available shortly and I will get some as soon as it is. Enjoy what sun there is, keep fit and well and we’ll hopefully see you sooner rather than later!



QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER JULY 2009

 Well, well, well, we’re halfway through the year. It seems quite unreal where the time goes. Chris and I have been gadding about quite a bit this year in an effort to keep up our ties with family and friends and business of course. The most recent trip was to Bruges where we visited a few top class butcher’s shops (there is a trading group known as Keurslagers on which the Q Guild was based) and picked up some new ideas which we hope to incorporate into our business at some time soon.

To those of you who are taking your summer breaks we wish everyone a pleasant and enjoyable time wherever you decide to go, let’s hope the weather continues to be good this year.

As the weather has been somewhat better so far we have already been quite busy with the barbecue selection. As you will have noticed we have been packing several products in sealed vacuum packed bags. This is for three reasons, firstly to allow the marinade to work effectively, secondly to allow for easy and safe storage should the weather change (most products once sealed will keep in the refrigerator for a week or more) and finally to allow for the product to be frozen if required. We are, of course, happy to sell smaller numbers of items if requested.

As well as the meat, we also have some other products suitable for this time of the year. In the cheese department we have Halloumi, which can be successfully barbecued, Feta, for those lovely salads and Buffalo Mozzarella to go with tomatoes and basil leaves for a superb starter.

At last the new seasons lamb has arrived and is now available. The quality is excellent and although the prices are higher than last year it does at least mean that the farmers are receiving a better return on their investment, which, in the longer term means that there is more likelihood of them continuing to farm. There has been a lot of pressure on the farmers in recent years and we want them to survive! We have also obtained some salt marsh lamb which has proved to be as good as usual.

In an effort to enhance our green credentials, when the weather is very hot, we shall reduce the amount of meat on visible display. This will help to maintain the quality of the produce that we are selling and also mean a reduction in our energy usage. We are trying to do our bit for the environment and cut down on waste without inconveniencing you too much. There will still be plenty of supplies within our walk-in refrigerator which we will be pleased to show you and cut for you on request.

Have a lovely summer and, hopefully, see you soon!



QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER JUNE 2009

 Let us hope that the traditional wet weekend for the Southend Air show doesn’t happen and that the forecast is right for once. We shall be preparing plenty of barbecue products from now on, on the off chance that we get a proper summer this year. Please let us know if there is a particular cut that you would like us to prepare for you and we will be happy to oblige.

We are already trying some new quick and easy recipe ideas for the summer months, for instance, marinated loin pork steaks, just pan fry for about 10 minutes and serve with new potatoes and a little salad. Chicken breasts stuffed with Parma Ham and Gruyère cheese, oven bake for about 40 minutes and serve with savoury rice. Meat balls in an Italian style tomato sauce, ready prepared in a cook-in tray, just pop in the oven for about 40 minutes and serve with rice or pasta. Delicious and simple.

We have managed to replenish our stock of sauces and marinades in the last week and now have the full complement again, including the Jamaican Jerk Sauce, Smoky Barbecue Sauce and the Brandy and Peppercorn finishing sauce. We have also stocked, for the asparagus season, Hollandaise Sauce, and, from the same company, Bearnaise sauce.

When Andy and I were at the International Food Exhibition earlier this year, we sampled some special tea. The name of the company is unusual, Teapigs, but the tea is excellent. We are stocking a few of their range to trial them and will be pleased to have your input on them. Each packet contains 15 tea "temples" (no common or garden tea bags here)! The varieties we are stocking are English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Chamomile, Summer Flowers and Mao Feng Green Tea.

We have also managed to obtain some more mutton, so please let us know quickly if you would like us to reserve some for you. If you prefer lamb, we are still sourcing ours from Warwickshire as the quality has been outstanding, and is highly recommended.

In June there are several opportunities for having a special day. The number one, of course, is Father’s Day on Sunday 21, a most important day in the calendar. Also there is the racing at Royal Ascot and the tennis at Wimbledon.

I had a very pleasant day on Monday 18 May at the Butchers’ Hall. A liveryman had wanted to mark his 50 year anniversary by donating something for display in the reception area of the Hall. He decided on commissioning a bust of the late HRH Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother who was a freeman of the Company. This was duly made in bronze and placed at the bottom of the staircase. On Monday last, HRH Princess Royal (a liveryman of the Company) officially unveiled the bust, and I was fortunate to be present. It was a delightful occasion and I felt very honoured to be invited to attend as the numbers were restricted.

Here’s to a good summer!



QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER MAY 2009

 Well, we’ve had some very pleasant weather during April, and as we head into the Bank Holiday weekend, perhaps it will continue. I think that we deserve a sunny weekend for a change.

If the weather is pleasant, we shall be having some lovely products for the barbecue. We have already been asked to make up a few barbecue orders so some of you are very keen to dust the cooker off as soon as is possible.

We shall, of course, be stocking our ever popular range of burgers (beef, AWT, fruity lamb, pork and possibly turkey). There are also some different varieties of sausages for your delectation. We have started producing our high quality kebabs and have a stock of them in the freezer ready for when (hopefully) the sun starts shining and the weather warms up somewhat. The same applies to ribs. I am hoping that we shall have enough of our products in the fridge and freezer to cope with your demands for the two holiday weekends. If, however, you KNOW that you will be catering and you also know what you want, please, please, please give us a call a few days in advance especially if you require a porco pancetta or butterfly leg of lamb. This advice does not apply just to holiday weekends but anytime. Also, remember that we will be closed on the Tuesdays following the Bank Holiday Mondays.

Lots of you have tried and been impressed with the Grumpy Mule range off coffees. This is excellent news and for the foreseeable future we shall be continuing to stock them. Unfortunately, although the feed back from the sales of the Paddy & Scott’s range of coffees has also been positive, it has not been converted into repeat sales. Therefore, regrettably, we have decided that we shall not be continuing to stock them. To clear our current stocks of these coffees we are offering the remainder at a whopping £1.00 per bag discount. These are really excellent coffees so make the most of our offer.

We have also started selling a range of ready to use curry sauces from Madhuban. These have also proved to be very popular as we have had many repeat orders even though we have only been stocking them for a month. They are very high quality and range from Korma to Madras in strength plus green and red Thai sauce mixes. They are simple to use for a quick meal and are highly recommended.

Whilst the barbecue season approaches, there is still time for a dinner party or two. If you would like to speak to Andy or me we would be happy to suggest some ideas for you. I always believe that if the food is good, a simple meal is excellent for when friends are coming to dinner. There are lots of good recipes that are not complicated. Also there is the selection of Pipe of Port pies to choose from, and it doesn’t come much simpler than that!

Finally, any comments with regard to the newsletter or our business are always most welcome. Your input is important to us. Toodle Pip!



QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER APR 2009

 After a quiet March, April has a number of dates for the diary. First up is Easter, followed by St George’s Day and finally the May Bank Holiday (obviously not strictly April but meal planning needs to be addressed during the month). I will give you all a reminder now that we shall be closed on Good Friday and the Tuesdays following the Bank Holiday Mondays, that is April 14 and May 5.

Easter is an unpredictable holiday as far as both weather and trade are concerned. Obviously the first somewhat defines the second. How to cope with the vagaries of the weather makes it very difficult for us to estimate what you, and therefore we, require. As far as beef is concerned we have a fairly good stock now, because we mature it for a minimum of two weeks (and preferably three) before selling it. This means that there is not an endless supply, so that if you know that you are going to require a rib of beef, please let us know by filling in an order form as soon as possible. This also applies to turkeys, ducks, large chickens and anything else for your special meal. I know it gets boring when I keep on about ordering, but the disappointment I see every now and again is not something I enjoy. So please let us know well in advance.

The same applies to St George’s Day, if you do require a joint of beef, please let us know.

Andy and I enjoyed our outing to the International Food Exhibition at the ExCel centre in Docklands. We spent a few hours there sampling some exotic foods (including the not so exotic ready-to-use eggs which we tasted scrambled. They were delicious, which really surprised us both). We sampled some sauces and marinades from Atkins & Potts which were of a very good quality. We decided to stock them and now have a good selection ranging from sauces for chilli and stroganoff to finishing sauces including red wine and juniper and Madeira and mushroom. Also there are a couple of pasta sauces. If you enjoy curries but not the preparation, we have ordered a range of ready prepared sauces, and with an eye to the barbecue season we are trialling a couple of marinades, Kafir lime and chilli and smokey barbecue. If you do try them, we would appreciate your feedback.

To facilitate the stocking of these new products, we shall be discounting the prices on stock which we shall be discontinuing. So look out for some bargain buys this month.

For the May Bank Holiday we will be preparing some barbecue meats should the weather look promising. Let us hope that as we had a proper winter we will be blessed with a proper summer. We can but hope!

That’s it for now; we hope to see you soon.



QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER MAR 2009

 It's March and the crocuses are now out on the green, a sight that reminds us that spring is, hopefully, just around the corner.

Well, what can one say about New York, other than it is an amazing place. Chrissie and I had a really lovely week over there with our daughters and their families. It was everything we had anticipated and, as you would expect, a week was nowhere near enough time to see it. I guess that it means we will have to go again sometime.

Moving swiftly on, we are very pleased to announce that we had our Q Guild audit in January and passed with flying colours. The Guild has a very strict manual with which we have to comply. Penalty points are deducted for any non compliance, with the total deducted at the completion of the audit. We have just received our certificate from the auditors (SAI Global) and have been given the AA rating which is the highest award. Needless to say we are delighted. We will continue to do our best to maintain this high standard and would appreciate your input should you feel there are areas of the business that could be improved.

This month contains Mothering Sunday (22nd) and St Patrick's Day (17th). If you intend to have a celebration for either of these occasions, please give us some advance notice. We have had a few disappointed customers recently who didn't ask us to reserve them something "because you always have it" and on that particular occasion, we didn't. So please do consider a telephone call or email to let us know, and we can put your selection to one side for you.

Andy and I will be attending the IFE (International Food Exhibition) at EXCEL this month, and will be keeping our eyes open for some new ideas. If you have an idea for a product that you would like us to consider stocking, please let us know before we go.

National Butchers Week this year is 16-21 March. This has been introduced over the last couple of years to try to raise the awareness of shoppers to the potential demise of the local butcher's shop. It has been quite well publicised in some magazines and newspapers but it really is essential that those of you who do use us regularly get your relatives, friends and acquaintances to do the same. It is a fact of life that all businesses need to keep attracting new customers and we are no different. We do not offer special deals to attract new business, because we are more interested in looking after our established customers. This does, however, mean that we rely on word of mouth recommendation, which is the best, but slowest, form of advertising. We have been trading from these premises for 30 years and would like to continue for some time to come.

Finally, the next main special occasion will be Easter, which is in the middle of April (Good Friday is 11th). We intend to have a supply of KellyBronze turkeys but will be needing advance notice. Please speak to us about the middle of March when we shall have order forms available.

I look forward to seeing you again soon. TTFN.



QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER FEB 2009

 Welcome to the February diatribe. We have certainly had a proper winter so far this year with the temperature regularly in single figures. This is the first year for some time that there has been no sign of the crocuses on the green opposite, with only a week of January left to go. I am quite enjoying it and hope that it bodes well for the future. Perhaps this year we will have a proper spring and (more to the point) a warm and sunny summer. We can dream, can't we?

There are still some problems with the supply of meat at the moment. There is a general shortage of beef, due to various factors, one of which is that many farmers withdrew from livestock farming two or three years ago. It takes at least 18 months for cattle to grow to a size suitable for sending to market, so it is obvious that the problem will take some time to redress. Now that the pound is weaker against the euro, more of the nation's lambs are being sent for export, hence the increase in prices recently. The supply of pork is fairly constant at the moment, as is the price. However, once Jamie Oliver explains to everyone about the plight of the British pig farmer's problems, it could change! As I have explained before, it is difficult for our farmers to compete with our European neighbours, as they have lower welfare standards, and therefore lower costs per head. It will be interesting to see what happens. Did you watch and listen to Jamie Oliver's programme? He confirmed many of the points that we try to convey to people, especially with reference to misleading labels and descriptions. He is very enthusiastic and passionate about food and I really like that. We will try and ensure that we have some of those lovely pork cuts available on a regular basis, but the way they were prepared was slightly different to our usual cutting, so it will be advisable to order by Tuesday of the weekend that you require the cut so that we can ensure supplying you. As most of you already know we supply the very top welfare pork that he spoke about and we already pay our suppliers a higher than market price. We (and therefore YOU) are already supporting this country's farmers and should be proud of the fact. I know that we are!

February 14 is Valentines Day and as it is a Saturday this year, it will give you all a chance to prepare a really lovely meal for the special person in your life. We are stocking up with the all important steaks as these seem to be the most popular item. If you prefer to do something else, do please ask Andy or me for guidance and we will do our best to give you some inspiration. If you have already planned your menu, please let us know in good time if there is anything that we can keep to one side for you, so as to avoid disappointment on the day.

We don't have a suggestion box; do you think that we need one? Every business needs to progress and we have always tried to stay in touch with current trends in the food industry. If there is any aspect of our business that you feel could be improved upon, we would appreciate your input. We would be pleased to listen to you personally, but, an anonymous letter will still be considered!

Chrissie and I will be visiting the Big Apple this month to help one of our daughters celebrate a special birthday. We will be studying the delis and eating houses for any new ideas we can come across, and see if there are any suitable for our business here.

Have a good month, eat well and healthily, but above all, be happy.



QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER JAN 2009

 I don’t know about you, but I’m worn out. It is typical at this festive season that I spend a lot of the time off asleep. We have to put in so many extra hours in the lead up to Christmas, that by the time we get there the batteries are empty. It is all just part and parcel of a butcher’s life. It does mean though that we seem to be back in the shop in no time. I realise that we have been closed a little longer than usual, but we will return to normal next week. And it will almost be as if it had never happened.

We hope that you enjoyed all the Christmas fare that you bought from us this year. We were extremely pleased with the overall quality of everything we sold, but, it is you who are the final arbiters of that. Therefore, although we enjoy being praised if it is warranted we do require you to let us know if anything wasn’t to your satisfaction so that we can address it in the future.

We prepare for the rush as well as we are able, but, as you realise, we are called upon to serve many more people than usual. We are obviously appreciative of the extra custom as it is essential for the continuing success of the business. We are, however, very aware of the inconvenience it causes to you, our regular customers. You are all very kind and understanding, and we would like to thank you for your patience.

Moving on to the New Year, it is very difficult to say how things will develop. With the collapse of several large household names it shows that no one is exempt from this crisis. At the moment it seems that there are huge discounts available everywhere. This obviously cannot be sustained as every business has to make a profit to continue trading. We have seen lately what happens when they don’t. I do not intend to start buying inferior quality produce in an effort to reduce prices. I think that that is the wrong thing to do. We promise to continue sourcing the finest quality produce that we can obtain and sell it at a fair and reasonable price and we will not compromise on our existing high standards. We hope that you agree with us.

Later on in the month we have Burn’s Night (25th January) and we will be stocking haggis from our Scotch Beef producer. They proved very popular last year and were praised very highly. Please let us know if you would like one or two reserved for you as we have to order them two weeks beforehand. They weigh approximately 500grams (just over a pound) and feed two or three people as a main course or five to six as a starter course.

We have recently started stocking Ostrich on a regular basis after a customer requested some. If you have a particular cut you would like us to obtain, please feel free to ask Andy or myself and we will do our best to supply you. Just recently we have seen an increase in sales of oxtail and leg of beef. The colder weather does lend itself to these slowly cooked dishes. If you have never tried them, you have no idea how wonderful they are. Don’t be shy, just ask Andy or myself how to cook them for the best results, you won’t regret it!

Finally, I will take this opportunity to wish you and your families a Happy, Healthy and Peaceful New Year.



QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER DEC 2008

 It’s time for Christmas planning! The Order Forms are now available and await your attention.

Hopefully you will be in a position to celebrate this Christmas with the same pleasure as previous ones, even though the newspapers and media are full of doom, gloom and despondency. I suspect that there are still plenty of people determined to share this special time of the year with loved ones, both family and friends. Whilst mindful of the difficulties many face in the current climate, our company policy remains the same, that is to supply the finest produce that we are able to source from farms and companies that are very concerned about the welfare of their produce. This obviously means that what we sell cannot be cheap, but it will be excellent to eat and good value!

Although the majority of turkeys that we sell are Kellybronze, from their own farms and not franchised, (because that is what you tell us that you want), we do source turkeys and poultry from other local suppliers. These are still of excellent quality and raised to a high welfare standard. So, we shall be stocking free range Kellybronze and white barn reared turkeys (whole or cuts), free range geese and ducks, fully matured (minimum of three weeks) Scotch Beef, dry cured free range Suffolk Bacon, free range Blythburgh Suffolk pork and Gloucester Old Spot pork, a selection of game from the Mark’s Hall estate and Bradnock Farm on the Dengie peninsular, Warwickshire lamb and, hopefully, some saltmarsh lamb as well. There is some mutton available again now so I will try to keep some in stock. We would be pleased if you could return your forms ASAP, as the sooner we know what is required the better we can organise ourselves at this hectic time. As usual we will do our very best to be efficient, but, as you all realise, the demand on us at this time of year is much more than usual.

We were very pleased with ourselves at the Smithfield Awards this year. We entered several of our products (mainly sausages and burgers) and all received silver or bronze awards. All the products are examined and marked on appearance, content and then cooked and assessed for eating quality. It does make all the hard work seem worthwhile when the results confirm that our peers consider our products are so good.

Our new ranges of coffees are proving very successful. Both the Grumpy Mule range and the smaller Paddy and Scott’s range are very high quality and welfare driven. All are organic and many are fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance Certified. If you haven’t yet tried them, then I recommend that you should! We also have some food related gift ideas available should you need any inspiration.

We wish you all the compliments of the season. Have a wonderful Christmas and a healthy and peaceful New Year.

As usual, if you need any advice or assistance don’t hesitate to contact us by telephone on 01702 710 133, email info@Qbutcher.com, our website www.Qbutcher.com or, preferably, call in to see us personally. Cooking methods and recipes are always available on the website.



QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER NOV 2008

 So, we now enter the month of November, when one’s attention can be distracted by hundreds of bangers. This year Bonfire Night coincides with British Sausage Week, when the focus is on that wonderful British staple food, the edible Banger. They can come in many different sizes, shapes, flavours and textures and are well suited to being eaten for breakfast, lunch, dinner, supper or as an anytime snack! There is a sausage available to suit every taste. We, as you well know, specialise in very high quality sausages all made on our own premises. They are made from the finest pork available, either free range Blythburgh Suffolk pork or free range Gloucester Old Spot from our farmer/producer in Coggeshall. We regularly produce plain pork sausages made with high quality seasoning, but no herbs or extra spice added to them. These are available in large, chipolata or cocktail sizes. Our Olde English sausage is made with the Gloucester Old Spot pork and uses a delightful blend of herbs and spices and is always a favourite. We also make Pork with Chive, Pork with Garlic, Pork with Apple and Magners Cider and others (including lamb or beef) on some occasions. Please ask us if you would like us to make a specific sausage just for you. We just ask that you order a minimum of 10lbs (4.5 kilo). We are quite happy to pack and freeze them for you if required.

Please order any kebabs or burgers etc. in good time for your get together for the Guy Fawkes celebration (or any other celebration come to that).

For those of you that enjoy transatlantic affairs, (not those sort of affairs)! Thanksgiving this year is the 27 November. If you require a whole turkey or turkey portion, please let us know ASAP.

And now it is the time to mention Christmas. Many of you have already asked about the festive season and as usual our order forms will be available on the weekend after Bonfire Night ie. 8 November. We shall, of course be stocking the fantastic Kellybronze turkeys as we have done successfully for over 20 years. Paul Kelly has continued his father’s passion for producing the finest tasting Christmas turkey. Having visited the farm earlier this year and witnessed first hand the passion, care and welfare that is involved in producing this unique strain of bird, I am delighted to recommend them to you wholeheartedly. They are nowhere near the cheapest, but, I can assure you, they are definitely the best!

Chrissie and I will be making a flying visit to Scotland at the end of this month to visit our Scotch Beef supplier and attend their Christmas Show. We will inspect their premises, see plenty of high quality beef, lamb and pork and will also get to meet some of the local farmers who produce the fantastic beef about which you are all so complimentary. Be assured that I will pass on your comments. I may even bid for some of the carcases at the auction following the prize giving. I’ll have to see what is on offer.

That’s all folks!



QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER OCT 2008

 First of all, we must give congratulations to Andy for passing the Level 3 Award in Food Safety Supervision with a Merit. The course took place over three days (the hottest of the year incidentally) in July and Andy was made to sweat profusely to earn this grade. He studied very hard and earned his reward.

Since the last newsletter, Chrissie and I have been to visit our younger daughter in Delhi. We had a wonderful time with her and the family, including Kareem, who many of you may remember worked here at the shop for a couple of years when he was between 15 and 16. He is now a US Marine and has done his stint in Iraq where he received a citation and medal (we are all very proud of him). My, doesn’t the time fly.

Now that autumn is upon us we shall be beginning to stock some more game. We have already started selling rabbit, venison and pigeon and in the next few weeks we shall be hoping to add pheasant, partridge and maybe mallard to the list. A number of people have recently requested that we stock ostrich steaks. I have bought a few in so if any of you would like to try some, please just ask. Also, if you are interested, various other species are available, namely, kangaroo, bison, crocodile, buffalo and springbok. If you have any interest in any or all of these, please let Andy or me know.

At a recent food fair that Andy and I visited some while ago, we contacted a new coffee supplier, known as The Grumpy Mule. They specialise in organic and fair-trade coffees which they select and roast themselves. We shall be trying some of their range and would value your input on whether they are worth stocking on a regular basis. As an introductory offer we shall be selling them with a discount of 10%.

We have also introduced some new lines from a highly regarded company called Bart Spices Ltd. They include a selection of pastes and seasonings and Crispy Crumbs for use in cooking. The Crispy Crumbs can be used for making stuffing or crusts for meat or fish. We are also planning on introducing some other products which took our fancy and which we are trialling at the moment. We will keep you informed on the progress that we make.

It’s now getting to be casserole weather and so this month the Guild has persuaded Clarissa Dickson Wright to create a recipe especially for our members. You should receive a leaflet of the casserole with this newsletter, but, if you don’t, please just ask Andy or me when you are next in the shop and we will hand you a copy. It seems like just the thing for a cold autumnal evening, really warming and best to be enjoyed with a good glass of a substantial red wine. This is of course only a personal opinion and should not be viewed as compulsory. (Remember not to exceed the recommended daily alcohol limit)!!

At the end of the month is Hallowe’en, not an occasion that I am interested in celebrating, but it has gained some momentum over the last few years. Therefore if you are planning to have a barbecue or some other type of get together, just let us know in good time. The same will apply to Bonfire Night, so if you require sausages or burgers for your party, don’t forget to give us a little advance notice.

That’s it for now, keep well and eat healthily and heartily!



QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER SEP 2008

 September already, and we've had our last long weekend before Christmas. What a shame that we didn't have a proper summer again this year. It is so disappointing. When the schools first broke up, there was a delightful spell of sunny warm weather for a couple of weeks, and then that was it. It really is no wonder so many of us decide to leave the country now and again.

Having said all that, I think that autumn is a beautiful season with the lovely colours. The cooler weather also encourages the appetite (which is a good thing in my book), and I can't wait to try some of the wonderful recipes for this time of year with the ready supply of vegetables and fruit from the garden. In this newsletter you should have received three recipes using pork belly, specially created for the Guild of Q Butchers by top chef Paul Rankin. They all sound fantastic and I shall look forward to hearing how you get on with them. I shall endeavour to make sure that I have extra supplies of pork belly, but, as usual, please let me know in advance if you would like some reserved for you.

I hope, also, that the supply of beef and lamb will increase steadily from now on as for the last few months both species have been in decidedly short supply.

From 20 September until 5 October it will be British Food Fortnight, when it is hoped that we will all eat and drink as much British produce as possible. The vast majority of the stock we sell is British and we will continue to support this initiative. It is a very difficult time for small producers and small retailers (like us) and it is essential that the public is made aware of the support needed to ensure survival. The major supermarkets are encroaching on more and more businesses in their efforts to put small shops out of business, and they appear to be succeeding, as with the number of shops closing locally due to lack of trade, there will shortly be nowhere for those who want to support small businesses to go. Anyway, that's enough of my soap box oratory for now so let's move on.

On a much brighter note, I was able to supply a rib of beef to a gentleman from Okotoks, Alberta , Canada. He contacted me prior to visiting some friends in the UK. He had wanted to bring them a piece of superb Alberta beef (the province is renowned for the quality of its meat) but, it is prohibited to export it. He trawled the web until he found a suitable butcher in this country, and when he found our website he was so impressed that he chose us. We sent the rib to Bourne End and he telephoned me before leaving to return home to say that the beef was as good as he had ever tasted. As you can imagine we were absolutely delighted. The internet can be a really positive experience, I am happy to report.

Although, theoretically at least, the summer is now receding, we shall continue to produce our usual range of burgers and kebabs should you require them.

That's it for now, keep well and eat healthily and heartily!



QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER AUG 2008

 I don’t know about you but I’ve had three barbecues in three days recently, what a pleasant surprise. We are now producing barbecue products every week, but, up until recently, not too many. It is very labour intensive as we make all our own burgers, sausages and kebabs, so we try to judge our/your requirements as accurately as we can. Thanks to all of you that have given us notice of your requirements in good time, it is really appreciated. A few days warning makes it so much easier to get our sums right!

I had the pleasure of visiting Kelly Turkey Farms recently, and what an interesting day it was. We were there for about 5 hours and were shown the complete production cycle used to produce the fantastic turkeys that we sell at Christmas. The thing that stood out the most to me was the fact that at every stage of production the most important criteria were high quality and welfare standards. The Kelly family made a decision 30 years ago to re-introduce the black feather breed of turkey. They had to travel the length and breadth of Britain to be able to find enough remaining stock to start the process. Fortunately they succeeded, and the result of their very hard work and commitment is an extremely successful business selling the finest turkeys available. Derek retired some while ago and Paul is now the very visible face of the company. You can see him on the television and hear him on the radio as well as being able to meet him at the BBC Food Fairs. The company is in very good hands.

Have you tried our new recipe Pork and Apple burgers yet? They are really delicious and make a nice change from beef. We make them with the free range Blythburgh pork, English apple juice, mixed herbs and apple pieces. Try a couple the next time you are barbecuing, I’m sure that you won’t be disappointed.

A couple of new products for summer are the butterfly leg of lamb (this can be cooked in the oven or barbecued) and the pavé of rump steak. The rump steak is marinated with sea salt and black pepper and is ideal for the barbecue. We have also been preparing marinated spatchcock Poussin in garlic and herb which are proving very popular.

We have a new selection of stir fry and stir in sauces from Zesame Ltd (zesame.co.uk). There are 5 exciting stir fry and 3 stir in sauces and they are made to exacting standards. The whole range is organic. Stir frying is such a quick and easy way to make a meal at this time of the year. It is not the sort of weather to be standing over a hot grill or oven, is it?

We have managed to obtain some rare breed Red Poll beef. It is from the farm in Woodbridge, Suffolk of Mr B King. If you would like to try some please ask.

At last, lamb is becoming more plentiful and the price has eased somewhat. We now regularly stock the saltmarsh variety as well as our usual supply for Mr Webb’s Warwickshire farm. It is all particularly good at this time of the year.

Finally, let me remind you about the August Bank Holiday. Please do order anything that you will definitely need, as we are happy to reserve it for you. Please also remember that we will be closed on the Tuesday 26th after the holiday and re-open on Wednesday 27th.

Eat well and healthily and enjoy the summer while it lasts. Bye for now!





QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER JULY 2008

 This month marks the start of the main holiday season and we wish all of you a good break away from the normal routine.

We’re pleased to announce that there is now some new season’s saltmarsh lamb available. Our first supply will be from Edward Hull’s flock on Foulness Island. We were extremely pleased with the quality last year and I am sure it will be just as good this time.

It has been a fitful start to the barbecue season (no change there I suppose), but we have been selling plenty of our home made burgers, ribs and kebabs. Have you tried our fruity lamb burgers yet? We use only fresh English lamb with a blend of herbs, fruit and fresh eggs, (a delicious change from beef) and can be fried or grilled as well as barbecued. The AWT burger is proving particularly popular and is suitable for those who like a little more zing from their burger.

If you would like something different, we can offer you venison steaks, kebabs, spatchcock Poussin, chicken thigh cordon bleu and marinated steaks and chops. These are not always in stock so please telephone to check their availability or order them before coming in.

By popular request we are re-introducing the wonderful apple juice from Watergull Orchards in Cambridgeshire. There are several varieties to try, and apart from tasting good, it means we are supporting the apple producers of this country. They are £2.85 per bottle or 2 bottles for £5.50.

The ever popular Pipe of Port now supply us with Pork & Plum and Trawler (fish) pies to add to the range of Steak & kidney & mushroom and Chicken & Chestnut which we already stock.

In the cheese cabinet we are now stocking herb and garlic Roulé, Pecorino, Taleggio, Cornish Yarg, feta for salads and halloumi for the barbecue. If you are not familiar with any of them, please feel free to ask to try them (or any cheese) before you buy.

We have just taken delivery of a really good organic olive oil (Strakka) from Cyprus, which comes complete with its own pourer. It is ideal for summer (?) salads and marinades. Also, don’t forget the excellent sweet chilli sauces which give a boost when used as either a dip or an accompaniment to sausages, cold meats, etc.

Finally, remember to live well, eat well and stay well!

PS We are still collecting old spectacles for charity.





QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER JUNE 2008

 Flaming June (allegedly), is upon us already, where does the time go? This newsletter is a little early again, the reason being that I am a bit short of time over the next week or so and wanted to make sure that I had it organised in good time.

I will be having some days off during the month. This will be the first time that Andy has been left to run the shop without me for more than the odd day or two, so please be very gentle with him! It would be very helpful if you could give him a few days notice of any special or larger orders so that he can get himself properly prepared and you get the service that you are entitled to expect. There will be days when Robert will be assisting him so he won’t be totally bereft of help. He also has a couple of volunteers lined up for any emergency that may crop up!

This month also contains the very important occasion of FATHER’S DAY (June 15). I thought that I had better make mention of it just in case it got forgotten. We shall be maturing extra steaks for that weekend as, traditionally, most fathers like to choose them.

The new season’s lamb is now under way with a regular supply from the farmer that we use in Warwickshire. The quality is terrific, but because the flavour is more delicate at this time of year I would suggest cooking it unadulterated, with just a little mint, rosemary or lavender to accompany it. We are also hoping that the saltmarsh lamb will be available in the not too distant future.

If we are lucky enough to get some pleasant hot weather we shall be preparing various meats for the barbecue. We have started producing some different burger style products for your delectation. Along with our ever popular beef burger, last year’s successful launch of the AWT steak burger and the fruity lamb burger, we have recently produced a pork and apple burger and a mixed meat kofte kebab (which looks like a small burger). Those that have already tried them have reported back favourably so I hope that more of you will give them a try. There are also some marinated boneless pork belly pieces in a square shape (magic squares according to Andy) which can be cooked like ribs but have no bone. We have also introduced a couple of new marinades to liven up the taste buds.

If we are lucky enough to have a hot summer, be prepared to call in and find the cabinet with less produce in it than you are used to seeing. Due to increasing costs and the need to conserve energy we will not be running the cabinets as often as in the past. NB This does not mean that we are selling up (a recent rumour) or closing down (another recent rumour), but merely trying to effect better housekeeping. Whenever we are present we will be happy to serve you even if the cupboard looks bare.

Here’s hoping for some sunshine!





QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER MAY 2008

 Thank you for all the very complimentary comments made about my appearance on the BBC Look East regional news. It was a very interesting and enjoyable experience. There are plenty of opportunities to cheat at cooking without compromising quality, but I think Delia was much mistaken in using inferior tinned meat for spaghetti bolognaise. However, it certainly got her a lot of publicity, which is what she would have wanted. Incidentally, for those of you who missed the news that day, you can view the piece by visiting our website and clicking on the link above.

Throughout the month of May, the Guild of Q Butchers is running a promotion with Morphy Richards offering the opportunity to win one of 50 slow cookers. It is free to enter, all you need to do is to send your name and address, and our name and address to the Guild’s office in Scotland. All the recipe leaflets have the address on them and there are 5 different ones to collect.

Andy and I visited Food & Drink Expo in Birmingham in April and saw some new product ranges that may be of interest to you. We have now taken delivery of these new products and hope that you will feel encouraged to try them for yourselves. They include things like Garlic Jam, Watercress Sauce, Apple & Sage Jelly and a new range of sauces to accompany pasta. In addition we have 3 new hand baked sweet biscuits, Vanilla & Cream, Coconut & Lime and Ginger & Lemon, delicious! There were some lovely cheeses which we tasted as well and we have got some in stock now. Among them are Cornish Yarg, Barbers Cheddar (still made with a natural culture to begin the cheese making process) and Taleggio, a really delicious and creamy cheese from Italy. Now back in stock is the very popular and pungent Stinking Bishop.

We have added to our usual range of olives but if you have a particular favourite you would like us to stock please mention it and if we can source it we will be pleased to get some for you.

We have also added Biltong to our range. This is made by a South African couple on Canvey Island and is made from Australian Beef and South African spices. There are different shapes and sizes available and they are already proving to be quite popular as a tasty, different type of snack.

As the barbecue season approaches, we will be looking at some new marinades to use on our top quality meats. If there are any flavours that you like and would want us to have available, please let Andy or me know. As summer approaches we begin to think of those long, light evenings sitting around in the garden with family and friends sharing good food and wine, and hope that it won’t be just a dream!

Finally, there are two Bank Holidays in the month of May, so I need to remind you that we will be closed on the Tuesdays following the Bank Holiday Mondays.





QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER APR 2008

 It feels as if spring is in the air. I hope it isn’t a tease and that there is still some bad weather awaiting us. If it continues as it is we will soon be preparing ourselves for the first barbecue weekend of the season. We will endeavour to produce some new products for you to try, whilst continuing with the favourites of previous summers. You can be assured that whatever you buy it will be made from the finest produce. We do not buy in inferior meats just to use on the barbecue. All our barbecue products are made from the same high quality produce that we supply throughout the year.

Possibly before the first barbecue (but possibly not), will be the celebration of St George’s Day on April 23. I don’t know about you but I am all for celebrating whatever the occasion, so I shall be having roast beef and Yorkshire pudding with roast potatoes (done in goose fat of course), with a few vegetables. I should drink some traditional English beer with it but suspect that I will possibly open a good bottle of red wine which, unfortunately, we can’t produce in this country. I have put my order in for my beef already so you need to do the same if you would like a rib or two!

On the subject of beef, I have decided to publicise a service that we have had available for some time but rarely mention. That of having your beef matured on a bespoke basis. As most of you know, we mature our beef for a minimum of two weeks before selling it, and, in the case of steaks, more often than not they are matured for three or four weeks. However, some of you who know about these things, would like to buy beef that has been dry matured for longer. We are very happy to mature whole ribs, rumps or loins of beef for a time that you specify. If you are interested in availing yourself of this service, please speak to Andy or myself and we will be pleased to explain the arrangements to you.

Andy and I will be attending the FoodexMeatex Exhibition in Birmingham this April and will be looking for ideas and products to try to keep the taste buds interested for the next year or so. Having a small shop can mean that one’s vision can be a little restricted, so I feel that attending exhibitions such as this offers us an opportunity to meet fellow industry people and also look out for innovations and trends for the future. So it’s work, not a jolly! (I think that we would probably choose somewhere more exotic than Birmingham for a jolly (no offence to the brummies of course))!

If you have any ideas for future projects or different products you would like to be able to purchase from us, please let us know and we will certainly give them consideration.

Despite all the doom and despondency that’s about at the present, I hope that you all have a pleasant Easter.



QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER MAR 2008

 Mothering Sunday is early this year, as indeed, is Easter. Sunday 2nd March for the former and 23rd is Easter Sunday. Kellybronze turkeys will be available for Easter, but only to order, so please let us know very soon if you do require one. I have been told by my lamb supplier that he has managed to secure a supply of spring lamb early this year and I have some on order. I am hopeful that we shall be able to stock them consistently from now on, but one can never be sure about it. There is only one breed of lamb that is able to produce this early and that is the Dorset breed. The farmer at Bicknacre has crossed them with the Texel breed which has a very good confirmation, so they should be well worth the extra money that they cost. Once again if you wish to have some reserved either for Mothering Sunday or Easter please let us know.

The Hereford Red rare breed beef has been very well received and so we have some more on order which will be ready for consumption around about Eastertime. The usual suggestion applies!

Since Jamie Oliver’s latest TV series started we have noticed an increase in the number of customers enquiring about the provenance of their food. This is a really pleasing trend. We have made it our policy for many years to know the source of our meat and poultry, and it is very encouraging that more people than ever are beginning to be concerned about the food that they consume. We shall be pleased to answer any questions that you may have about any of the meat and poultry that we supply.

I had another exciting and new experience for me in February, when I sailed from Gravesend to HMS Belfast on one of Her Majesty’s fishery patrol vessels, HMS Tyne. The Worshipful Company of Butchers (WCB) has affiliations with the three main services. HMS Tyne is our affiliation with the Navy, and as she was visiting London the WCB was invited to select about 30 liverymen to join the ship at Gravesend for the journey to London. I was very fortunate to be selected. We were, naturally, treated very well. We were given a tour of the ship and a presentation explaining the role that they have in protecting the seas around our coast. It was fascinating. On arrival in London we were joined by the Mayor of Southwark and other dignitaries and were given a cocktail reception. All most enjoyable! One of the best experiences was sailing under a raised Tower Bridge at dusk. Coincidentally, the Captain of HMS Tyne had at one time been a midshipman navigator on the Wilton, which is now the home of the Essex Yacht Club!

The lighter mornings and evenings are very welcome and lead us to hope that spring is not too far away. The crocuses on the green opposite are looking wonderful and the daffodils are now beginning to appear, very encouraging.

I wish a Happy Easter to you all.



QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER FEB 2008

 As you can observe on the back of this month’s newsletter, we are offering you the chance to get a free DVD on how to cook the perfect steak. I suspect that the majority of you that buy steak on a regular basis from us know very well how to cook a perfect steak. However, we thought that it was an opportunity to assist those of a nervous disposition into seeing a tried and trusted method of cooking a steak. I found it a very interesting DVD and, although I don’t cook my steaks in exactly the same way as shown, I will try it myself in the near future. The main point is, of course, to use a steak that is in the peak of condition. That means that it should have been matured for a minimum of two weeks and preferably three or more. Most of the steaks that we sell will have been matured for at least three weeks. If you wish to avail yourself of the offer, please do so sooner rather than later as I only have a certain number of DVDs available and will be unable to obtain any more. Also for the same reason we are restricting the offer to one DVD per household. This is an ideal opportunity for a romantic Valentines Day meal.

While on the subject of beef, we will be sourcing some rare breed Hereford Red beef from the Little Braxted Hall Estate. The farm where they are raised is part of a conservation scheme supporting a wide range of wildlife. The meadows that the cattle graze contain many wild flowers, herbs and vetches. If you would be interested in trying some, please let us know. Once we have matured it I shall certainly be trying some for myself.

We also have a new source for mutton. This is from the farm of Humphrey Mills at Steeple Bumpstead. The stock is Texel, which is a breed that has a very good confirmation. It has a wonderful flavour and is well worth a try in my opinion. The first reports from those who have tried it are excellent.

If you need an easy lamb meal, we can now offer you lean marinated, diced lamb (in an oven-proof tray if required). Just put it in the oven at about 180 degrees for 40-50 minutes and by the time the rice or potatoes are ready you will have a really tasty dinner. Naturally you could also serve it with other vegetables.

As an addition to our free range and barn chicken, we are also now stocking Freedom Food chickens as monitored by the RSPCA. These are obtained from the same family company that supplies our Suffolk barn chicken, but these are raised in barns containing perches, bales and toys! They are delicious and well worth a try. The producer is marketing them as St George chicken, and they carry a label to that effect.

Have you checked the website lately? We are always looking for ways to improve it and would appreciate your input if there is anything you would like to see on there. Please let us know.

That’s all for now folks! Eat well and keep fit!



QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER JAN 2008

 I hope that you all had a very Happy Christmas and that all the produce matched up to the expectations. It is always a concern that everything we sell is as good as it can be. We take great pride in supplying you with everything in perfect condition for the festivities and we hope to have succeeded. If, however, you were dissatisfied (for whatever reason), do please let us know as your feedback is very important to us. We constantly strive for perfection, so should anything not be quite right, we need to know in order that we may be able to put it right next time.

We have once again been very pleased with the quality of the meat and other produce that we have sourced over the last year, and will endeavour to maintain the standard expected of us. We shall continue to investigate other producers who may be able to improve on those that we currently use although this will be no easy task. We receive good support from our current suppliers and they are very receptive to our (and therefore, your) requirements. We managed to visit several of them during the past year and those that we were unable to get to we will try to visit this year.

At the beginning of December I was privileged to have taken part in one of the oldest ceremonies in the city of London. Around about 1340 the Butcher’s Company agreed to provide the Lord Mayor of London with a decorated Boar’s head in recognition of the permission given to throw waste products into the River Fleet that then flowed into the Thames. The parade was led by the Company Beadle, followed by the Master, Clerk and members of the Court of the Company in full regalia, and then the members of the army unit that had prepared the decorated Boar’s Head. We left from the Butchers’ Hall and processed to the Mansion House escorted by two mounted police and three police motorcycle outriders, who prevented the traffic from using the roads while we did. (I was pleased about the value of the health and safety guidelines on this occasion). We were received at the Mansion House by the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress, Alderman David Lewis and his wife. The Master of the Company John Tuckwell gave a short address to the assembled company with a response from the Lord Mayor. We were then plied with a fizzy drink and, following the carving of the Boar’s Head, a slice of the same. It was a marvellous experience. It was also a delight to meet not only the Lord Mayor, but also some members of the army that represent our country in very dangerous parts of the world.

January 25th is the Burns’ Night celebration and we shall be obtaining some genuine haggis from north of the border. If you are planning a special meal for the occasion please let us know in good time of your likely requirements. A beautiful set of ribs needs to be matured for three weeks, which doesn’t give us much time to arrange deliveries, so if you need a rib, it is imperative that you let me know ASAP.

Our charity pig collection over the last year has been very good. All the little bits of small change soon add up (and so do the large ones as well, of course). The collection during last year amounted to £350 for which we received a certificate in thanks. We have, therefore, decided to continue to support the locally based charity Myotubular Trust. For further information you can access their website www.myotubulartrust.com or read the explanatory leaflet in the shop.

Once again, thank you all for your support during the past year, we will endeavour to continue to provide you with the best produce that we can. Chris, Andy and I take this opportunity to wish you all a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year.



QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER December 2007

Well, here we are again, another December Newsletter. I must say that it feels like Christmas comes around once every six months now. I suppose that it’s because I am (in the words of my grandson) "a old boy"! Such is life.

Many of you will have noticed a new face in the shop (well it isn’t that new, but it is newer than mine). I am extremely pleased to announce that Andy has joined us on a full time basis. Andy first worked for me as a washing-up boy in my Southend shop quite a few years ago. He was with me for about 7 years until I decided to return to having one shop instead of three. Andy went his own way for several years and at one time had his own business before selling up and trying something different. Fortunately he was looking for a change when I was in a position to offer him the opportunity to return to working for me and was delighted when he accepted. He is looking forward to meeting you all and helping you with your requirements.

As usual at this time I have to urge you to place your order for your Christmas fare. It doesn’t matter how mundane your requirements may seem, (or that you perceive that we always have everything in stock), please order it to avoid disappointment. We believe in providing the best quality that we are able to source, but, we do not over order.

Our Order Forms are available now and to avoid disappointment I would suggest that you return them to us by Saturday 8th December. The most important items to order are Kellybronze turkeys; free range Essex geese and ducks; three bird roasts; and fully matured Scotch rib of beef and sirloin. We also stock dry cured bacon joints and rashers from Suffolk and the ever popular free range Blythburgh and Gloucester Old Spot pork. We should be having Essex venison from the Mark’s Hall Estate at Coggeshall, which we will be able to supply as joints, steaks and Gold Award winning sausages; also pheasants, partridges, rabbits and hares. Just mention if there is anything else in the game department that you would like us to try and source for you.

I would also recommend that you notify us of your requirements for the New Year.

Early in November we went to visit the supplier where we source our geese, free range chickens, game, pork and bacon. He had organised a "meet the producers" day with a hog roast and a three bird roast to try, both absolutely delicious. We met Edward Hull who farms on Foulness and I selected some of his saltmarsh lambs to try and these are now in stock (how local can we get)! He also raises saltmarsh beef and I am thinking that I may try some in the New Year. Please let me know if you would be interested.

I have put the festive period opening times on the back of this newsletter for your information.

We wish you all the compliments of the season. Have a wonderful Christmas and a healthy and peaceful New Year.

As usual, if you need any advice or assistance don’t hesitate to contact us by telephone on 01702 710 133, email info@Qbutcher.com, our website www.Qbutcher.com or, preferably, call in to see us personally. Cooking methods and recipes are always available on the website.



QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER NOV 2007

 Crikey, I return home from my summer break and it’s the November Newsletter! I just don’t understand.

Anyway, we return refreshed and raring to go (well almost). The last day of October is Hallowe’en, and although it is not as big an occasion here as it is stateside, there is more interest in it now than ever before. Whether you consider it to be a "good thing" or not is debatable. The same applies for November the fifth, (bonfire night, as I used to know it)! The celebration is a little more subdued now that the health and safety aspect is so prominent, but I know from past experience that I am not the only one to celebrate anything at the drop of a hat. Birthdays, anniversaries, special occasions, waking up in the morning, all very good reasons to break open the Champagne! We will be making extra sausages and burgers for those of you that are having a party and if required we would be happy to make kebabs or marinate some ribs for you.

Following on from November 5 is another transatlantic favourite, "Thanksgiving". In recent years we have taken some instructions from families with a connection with our former colonies who have asked me to supply them with a turkey. This, of course, we are very happy to do, so please don’t hesitate to ask. The date this year is 22 November.

The game season is now with us (a sure sign of a change in the weather). We have obtained some excellent venison from the Mark’s Hall estate (not far from Marks Tey and well worth a visit) as well as pheasant, partridge, grouse, mallard, teal and rabbit. We won’t have all of them necessarily, but just ask when you come in and we’ll let you know what we have in stock. If there is something specific that you would like, please speak to us in advance and we will do our best to obtain it for you.

It’s the time of the year when people start mentioning their plans for the Christmas celebrations. As usual we shall be having our Christmas Order Forms available the weekend following November 5. We shall of course be stocking the Kellybronze turkey as usual, but from my information they may well be in shorter supply this year due to the increasing demand for this high quality turkey. I would urge you to let me know as soon as you know what you will be requiring and we will do our best to fulfil your order.

We are trial stocking the excellent magazine called "delicious", it has lots of interesting articles and recipes and is very good value at £3.10. This month’s issue also includes a free Seafood Cookbook, very useful for the odd meat free meal!

Looking forward to seeing you soon, eat well and healthily.



QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER OCT 2007

 I have issued the October issue of the newsletter a little early for the obvious reason that we won't be here to distribute it for the first two weeks! It is a first for us to actually close for two weeks and I hope that it doesn't inconvenience you too much. If it does "sorry!!" I bet you wondered what I was going to write then didn't you? I am not that sort of a chap. Anyway, I must say that Chrissie and I are both looking forward to spending some time (and money) with our daughter and son-in-law. The telephone and email are very good, but are no substitute for being able to give them a big hug. We shall of course be thinking of you all back in Blighty and will drink a toast to your health now and again.

As I mentioned in the September issue, we shall be making a few changes to our opening hours because of the changed circumstances. As from October we shall be closed on Mondays. This was quite normal for butchers when I first joined the trade, so I suppose that you could say that I am reverting to type. Once again we hope that by giving plenty of notice it will not prove too inconvenient. After a discussion with Chrissie, I was informed that I am banned from working seven days a week, and who am I to argue?

At the moment everything appears to be working out OK, but, your input is valued and we would appreciate your comments about our new arrangements. None of the changes are set in stone and we will review them on a regular basis for some time.

As many of you are aware, the Guild of Q Butchers of which we are members, have the annual Smithfield Awards. This is an opportunity for the members to have existing and new products assessed by experts for quality, presentation and of course taste. We have been very successful in the past with several of our products achieving the Gold standard. This year, unfortunately, it takes place while we are on holiday, and therefore, we are unable to put any products in to be assessed. This is disappointing as we had a couple of new products that we wished to have evaluated. However, we shall have to let you, the customer, decide whether they are good enough, as of course you are the only judges that really matter! The week we re-open after the holiday is British Sausage week, and we will (hopefully) be producing plenty of lovely sausages for you to have that week. For those of you that particularly like sausages, there are a couple of websites especially for sausage lovers, (www.sausagelinks.co.uk, and www.sausagefans.com) and, if you think any of our sausages are worthier of a wider audience, they request for consumers to recommend their particular favourites. Just a thought!

At the end of the month is Hallowe'en, so if you are planning a get together please let me know in good time what your requirements will be so that we can get ourselves organised. Bonfire night follows on very swiftly after that and the same request applies.

A recent project has been the re-vamping of our website www.Qbutcher.com. We are trying to make it even more user friendly, by providing easier to access cooking instructions and recipes. We are all stuck for ideas on what to have for dinner sometimes and I thought that it would be a good idea if you could just log on to the website and gather an idea or two from there. We will be updating it on a more regular basis with details of local and national promotions and generally keep you all more informed. Perhaps you could let me know if there are any specific features that you would find helpful, and tell me your opinions of whether you find the website useful or not.

There has been quite a lot written in the press recently about the shortage of animal feed. This is naturally going to lead to an increase in prices in the near future, but we will do our best to keep them to a minimum. However, it is very important that the farmers receive sufficient income to maintain their stock, so any increase is essential to keep a continuity of supply for the future.

I think that that's enough waffling for now. Thank you for your continued support.

I look forward to seeing you all again on my return.



QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER SEP 2007

 I thought that our country was supposed to be turning into a desert region with all this climate change and global warming! So much for the scare mongers. I wouldn’t mind a bit of global warming right now, perhaps there will be an Indian summer.

There will be some changes in the shop over the next few months. After almost 28 years Paul has left the company. Chrissie and I thank him for his service during that time and wish him well for the future.

As we were not expecting his departure we had booked a trip to visit our daughter and son-in-law in Toronto. This, therefore, necessitates us closing the shop for the period and we hope that it doesn’t inconvenience you too much. We will be open as usual until Saturday 29th September and will then be closed for the period until we re-open for business on Tuesday 16th October.

I may have to change our opening hours at some time but will give plenty of notice of any changes that I decide are necessary. We will continue to supply the very best produce that we are able to source and give you all the best service we can provide. There will, however, inevitably, be occasions on which there will be a longer wait than normal when we are busy. We would both appreciate and thank you for your patience should you find yourself in that position.

After the farce that has passed itself of as summer, we now look forward to the cooler weather as autumn approaches. There is more activity in the food world at this time of year. At the beginning of the month are the Organic Food Fair in Bristol and the Speciality and Fine Food Fair in London. Both of these are trade affairs, but the result of the successful products shown there could be noticeable over the next year. The last week in the month and the first week in October have been designated British Food Fortnight (this doesn’t include Scotland as they decided to hold theirs two weeks earlier for some reason)!

It is important to a lot of people now to try and source their food more locally, and "food miles" is a commonly heard term. I think that the quality of the product is equally important as these issues and so we will continue to source our products to get the best quality we can, and if that is obtainable more locally, then so much the better.

Steve Jones’s pies are selling very well (much to Steve’s delight), so I suspect that we will continue to stock them for the foreseeable future. While I was "testing" one of the chicken and chestnut pies, my grandson thought that he should help me. He hadn’t eaten one of Mr Jones’s specials before (he is only six), but it got the thumbs up of approval from him. In fact, I practically had to fight him off for what was left on my plate. A couple of days later when he was going to have dinner with us, the request was for another pie, so praise indeed.

As the dinner party season is about to start, I will be preparing a few special items each week which may help with the meal planning. Lamb is particularly good at the moment and the salt marsh lamb is proving very popular. I will have some French trimmed racks available, but don’t forget to telephone me as soon as you decide if you want some as they don’t last long in the cabinet before being snapped up. Lamb noisettes are also proving popular and can be cooked as a small joint or as individual portions. If you require something special please just speak to me in advance so that I can advise you.

Thank you to everyone who puts their change in the little charity pig on the counter. With your donations plus the profits from our special carrier bags, we sent a cheque for £350.00 to the Myotubular Trust charity. Old spectacles are also still welcome!



QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER AUG 2007

 "I don't believe it!" as Victor Meldrew would say. Where has our summer gone? I sincerely hope that last April wasn't it for the year. That would be somewhat depressing, wouldn't it? Let us just hope that we get a few weeks of sunshine before the evenings start drawing in too quickly.

As usual at this time of year there are no special promotions going on as so many of you are on holiday for most of the month. We shall of course endeavour to keep up with the game as far as the weather is concerned so that should the sun decide to shine we have enough barbecue products ready for you. Obviously we can't guarantee to have everything available at very short notice, but, we will do our best. Of course, if you give us a few days notice, then most things are possible.

We have usually got mature steaks ready for cooking (Porterhouse, Rump, Rib eye and Fillet), although there may be an occasion, when, because we need to mature them for a minimum of 14 days, we may be out of one of them. The usual mantra does apply; if you know that you are going to need a particular cut, let us know a few days in advance and the likelihood is that you won't be disappointed.

All our kebabs are made by hand, and therefore, take us some time to produce, so please let us know large orders in advance. We can offer you a variety of top quality marinades, both for the kebabs, and for the ribs.

We have also started producing an addition to the burger range. By way of a change, we have started making a fruity lamb burger. It's a blend of our superb English lamb, to which we add sultanas and raisins, plus some herbs and fresh eggs to help with the binding process (and improve the taste)! We have been making them for a few weeks now and have received very positive feedback. We generally have some in the freezer so just ask next time you are in and give them a try.

Mr Jones's pies are proving extremely popular, so much so, that we keep selling out. They are delivered 3 or 4 times a week, so we don't want to buy too many at a time, but we have even sold out of the ones we keep in the freezer for emergencies! We shall obviously continue to stock them for the foreseeable future.

I have been noting the shopping patterns over the last three or four months, and it appears that you have all decided that you prefer a longer lie-in in the morning, and want to get home sooner rather than later in the afternoon. As a result of that, from 6 August, we shall revise our official opening times during the week, by, from Monday to Thursday starting at 08.30 and closing at 17.00. Friday will remain 08.00 until 17.30, Saturday will remain unchanged, from 08.00 until 14.00. These are of course minimum opening hours and, as usual, if the blinds are out it means that we are on the premises! If that is the case then we shall be very pleased to serve you. Don't hesitate to knock on the door if it is locked, it just means that we are either in the freezer or organising the cooking in the kitchen. Anyway, we will see how it goes; just let us know if you feel that we need to revert to the original times.

At the end of the month is the August Bank Holiday weekend, and we are always very busy with barbecues and family parties, so don't forget to let us know of any special requirements.

Don't forget, for the summer salads, we have dry cured ham, specially selected properly roasted Scotch beef, Prosciutto, salami, a lovely selection of Italian olives and anti pasto, feta stuffed peppers, and feta and halloumi cheeses.

In the meantime, enjoy the well earned summer break and keep eating well and healthily.

QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER JULY 2007

 What a forlorn hope for a flaming June. I can certainly think of a more suitable adjective to describe it!

However we are now entering the second half of the year and let’s hope we get a bit of nicer weather now we have moved into summer.

On the supposition that nothing much will change as far as the weather is concerned, we have now started stocking home made pies from the fantastic Pipe of Port. In this new venture, Steve Jones and his associates are making the two most popular pies that they serve at the restaurant, namely the Steak & Kidney and the Chicken & Chestnut. They are also making pre-cooked, ready to serve sauces, gravies, rice and mash. We shall be trialling these products over the next month or so to see whether there is sufficient demand for us to stock them on a regular basis. Those of you that have eaten at the Pipe (probably most of you), know the quality of these products and those supplied to us will be made to the same high standard.

With all the recent publicity surrounding the welfare of chickens, I arranged for the Q Guild group of which I am chairman, to visit our chicken supplier in Suffolk. We were given a comprehensive tour of the production unit and also a visit to one of their farms to see the how the chickens were kept. The farm that we visited was run in an exemplary manner. After the necessary health precautions of masks, protective clothing and a dip of the boots in disinfectant, we were allowed into the chicken sheds. There was plenty of room for us to walk around, and the birds did not appear to be phased by our entry at all. All of them appeared to be very content, with plenty of scampering about and contented clucking. I am very pleased to continue using this supplier for our regular non free range chicken.

I hope that later in the month I will be able to visit the farm that supplies us with some of our other products. I will keep you posted on the result.

If you have any questions or queries regarding where the products we sell are sourced, please feel free to ask us at anytime. Knowledge of the provenance of what we consume is very important and we do our best to ensure that whatever we sell is from reputable suppliers whose standards are as high as ours.

We always strive to ensure that we are supplying the products that you, our customers, require. If you feel that there is an area where we do not achieve this, do please let us know and we will endeavour to accommodate your request. Your satisfaction is our priority!

Don’t forget that we stock a range of jams and marmalades from a very good Suffolk manufacturer and that we have many unusual food items that you may wish to try including saffron and vanilla pods.

Eat well and stay healthy.

QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER JUNE 2007

 Let’s hope for a flaming June. It was a perishing cold and wet May and very disappointing, especially for those on holiday or with time off. So much for the start of the barbecue season! Let’s hope that there are better days ahead.

The Guild of Q butchers has a great supporter in celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson (as you may have noticed on the website, I had my photo taken with him at the Butchers’ Hall in London), and he has developed for us a special recipe for a beef burger. It is a blend of various herbs and spices with a touch of chilli and garlic and is absolutely delicious. We have started making them now, so please give them a try and let me know your opinion. We will be making them freshly every week and then storing some in the freezer. If you wish us to reserve some for you, please, just give us a call.

This month sees the very important occasion of FATHER’S DAY. I thought that I had better make mention of it just in case it got forgotten. We shall be maturing extra steaks for that weekend as, traditionally, most fathers choose them.

The new season’s lamb is now under way with a regular supply from the farmer that we use in Warwickshire. The quality is terrific, but because the flavour is more delicate at this time of year I would suggest cooking it unadulterated, with just a little mint, rosemary or lavender to accompany it.

I went on another business trip last month, this one was organised by Paul Kelly (star of the TV screen and turkey producer supreme)! It was a mystery trip, and I and 20 or so other butchers and turkey buyers (including Jimmy Doherty from Jimmy’s Farm) were to turn up at Stansted airport and then find out where we were going! It turned out to be Austria. We visited a small independent butcher who had a slaughterhouse attached to his shop, but there was only a door separating it from the living accommodation. I don’t think that that would suit me, but his family seemed happy with the arrangement. We also visited a mountain farm approximately 4000 feet up where the farmer and his wife kept about 12 cows and a goat from which they produced the most wonderful cheese. The rest of the trip was about having meaningful, trade orientated discussions over a meal and a drink or two. Well that’s my memory of it anyway! I was lucky to go as I had been ill the week before with the chest virus doing the rounds and had had to take to my sick bed for the first time in a dozen years.

My thanks are due to Paul for holding the fort during those two diversions and also for the help from Chrissie.

Get those barbecues ready for the sunshine. Toodle pip!



QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER MAY 2007

 Chrissie and I had a very interesting visit to Paris as we fully expected. Rungis wholesale market was incredible. It is the largest fresh food market in the world covering some 180,000 hectares. Needless to say we didn’t walk all the way around it. The range of fresh produce available was very impressive. It included all the species of meat with the exception of horse which surprised me. Apparently the French do not eat as much horse as they used to especially the younger generation. There were separate units for fresh fish and seafood, offal, cheese and an enormous amount of fresh flowers. There were also eleven bank branches and offices for transport, insurance, imports, etc. and cafes and bars. It was quite an eye opener, which was just as well having had a three o’clock call to go there!

We were received very well at the Paris butchery school where we were treated as important English visitors and given a champagne reception and a delightful meal with a 2000 claret to accompany it. It was very satisfying.

Now we must get back to business. This first weekend in the month is traditionally the first for barbecuing, but the weather has been so good up to now that we are already well under way. However, judging the likely requirements is not easy, so if you are planning a get together please let us know in good time.

Those of you that are not barbecue minded may like to try some of the new season’s saltmarsh lamb from Romney. It seems to be available more readily now so hopefully we shall be able to supply it on a regular basis again. The Warwickshire lamb is a little slower coming forward but the quality has remained superb, so I am still very happy to supply it to you.

The Guild of Q Butchers has got together with Antony Worrall Thompson and he has supplied us with his own recipe for producing beef burgers which we shall be making ‘in house’. Depending on your reaction to it, we may produce them on a regular basis. The decision will be yours.

With the warmer weather I expect more of you will be electing to eat salads once or twice a week. We shall continue to sell our finest quality scotch roast beef and also Suffolk hams and a selection of other tasty meats ie. Parma ham, pancetta, Ox tongue, roast turkey, kassler, salami and pates. We are also stocking several top quality olives and a selection of antipasto and stuffed peppers all of which help to lift a mundane salad. A fine selection of English and continental cheeses can add interest as well, especially the feta and Buffalo mozzarella.

If there is anything that we can do to help you please don’t hesitate to call. Contact numbers are on the front.

Eat well and healthily with our top quality produce.





QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER APR 2007

 Easter is upon us and so I hope that you have ordered any special meal requirements. It is a very difficult holiday to gauge as far as planning for your needs. We have a good supply of well matured Scotch Beef, sirloin, ribs and topside for joints, and fillet, porterhouse, rump and ribeye for steaks. I think that there will be enough for all unless something untoward occurs.

I am hoping to have some spring lamb very soon and I am hopeful that it will be saltmarsh. Please ask me if you require some. We shall be having a selection of poultry including Kellybronze turkey, free range chicken and ducks, and some Guinea Fowl and poussin to order.

The pork is particularly good at the moment (both the Blythburgh free range and the Gloucester Old Spot) and is proving very popular (as are the sausages that we produce from them). This also applies to the free range dry cured bacon which is sourced from the same supplier.

Once Easter has passed we shall rapidly approach St Georges Day. As it falls on a Monday this year, perhaps not so many of you will have a roasting joint to celebrate but maybe have a juicy steak instead. We will be able to facilitate fully matured steaks for you so that you are able to celebrate in style.

As a way of marking the accent on English food, I thought that it would be an idea to stock some of the more interesting English cheeses. Like many foods over the last couple of decades, the quality of cheese deteriorated on the basis of being made for the supermarkets. Now, however there are more food orientated producers who are refusing to cut corners. I feel that we should be supporting them, and we will be stocking some delightful cheeses made by people who are totally committed to quality. These include Westcombe cheddar from Somerset, Simon Jones’s Lincolnshire Poacher, Sparkenhoe Red Leicester from Jo and David Clarke, Colin Anstey’s Worcester White, Fowlers Sage Derby and Cornish Organic Brie from Trevarrian, plus one or two others. Tasters will be available so please ask to try before you buy.

Next up is the May Bank Holiday, which may be the first big BBQ weekend of the year (weather permitting of course). Your favourite products will be available; kebabs, sausages, ribs, chicken and burgers etc. but also some different products for you to try.

Incidentally, Chrissie and I are going to visit the world famous Rungis Market in Paris in the middle of the month and will be hoping to pick up some ideas over there. We are travelling with some colleagues from the Guild of Q Butchers and we will also be visiting the Chamber of Commerce and the Paris Butchery School (where we shall dine). I guess somebody has to do it!

I hope on our return to able to tickle your taste buds with some new ideas. Au revoir mes amis. Bon chance.





QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER MAR 2007

 Greetings to you all, I hope that this communication finds you well and looking forward to the better weather and lighter evenings. It’s almost barbecue time! (I’m only joking, honest).

The really special day for March is Mothering Sunday on the 18th, so let’s hope for a beautiful spring day with lots of treats for all the mum’s out there, (are you paying attention, gentlemen)?

Once again we shall be having plenty of good meat should you be preparing a meal at home. Although it is too early for spring lamb, the Warwickshire lamb we use from Mr Webb’s farm is consistently good and I have no reason to suppose that it won’t continue to be so. We always let it mature for a week or so to improve the flavour, tenderness and succulence of the meat so please give us due notice if you would like a leg, whether on the bone, boneless or especially if you would like it with a stuffing as well.

There will be some excellent matured beef available, but, as I continually remind you, it has to be bought in at least two weeks in advance and once we have sold out there is nothing we can do. So please, if you require prime rib, let us know in good time.

We shall be endeavouring to make sure that we have some Gloucester Old Spot pork available as well, but if not, we shall be having the superb Blythburgh Free Range Pork from Jimmy Butler’s Farm. This is not to be confused with Jimmy Doherty of Jimmy’s Farm fame. (I must apologise for those of you that watch Jimmy’s Farm, for the shock of seeing me filling my face with food on a recent episode. Jimmy invited Chris and I to attend when a group of Dutch farmers were over here on a return visit from when we visited them a couple of years ago).

I have been asked about the bird flu problem and how it is affecting our trade. Well, I am sure that you all know that we do not (and never have) stocked or sold Bernard Matthews turkey products. We only use three turkey producers, Paul Kelly, Howard Blackwell and Julian Mann, and none of them have ever had any problems whatever. Our Suffolk chickens are from Haughley and are quite a distance from the Matthews production units. I am certain that you can buy our poultry with confidence. We shall be offering turkeys for Easter, but it will be necessary to reserve one if required as we will not be buying any ‘on spec’ this year, only to order.

Last March we did a successful promotion on coffee beans, and have decided to repeat it this year. So, when you order 125g of beans we will give you 150g for the same price! We will, of course, be happy to grind them for you as well.

As a reminder, we are still able to accept any old spectacles for charity.

Eat well, toodle pip!!



QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER FEB 2007

 The mornings and evenings are lighter, the crocuses and daffodils are beginning to appear on the green opposite the shop, so we hope that Spring is not too far away. I hope that those of you who take a winter break have enjoyed the snow if you are skiers or the sun if you prefer the warmth.

This month is the month of romance (if you are that way inclined), and Valentine’s Day has become a special day in the calendar. Trying to book a restaurant that evening is very difficult, and if you haven’t done so by now you may already be too late. I much prefer to eat at home on these occasions, as the food is obviously much better than eating out and there is always the advantage of being able to drink a better quality wine. We shall be preparing some special products for this occasion, namely an easy-carve leg of lamb stuffed with lamb, apricot and ginger and also pork tenderloin stuffed with pork, apple, cranberry and chopped herbs. As these are special products, they will need to be ordered in advance, so please contact us by Monday 12th if you require one of them. The types of stuffing are only a suggestion, if you would prefer a different one, please tell us when ordering.

As usual we will, of course, be maturing plenty of steaks, as these are always the most popular meal on this occasion. If you require them to be peppered or marinated just let us have a few days notice and we will be pleased to organise it for you. We can offer the same service for pork or lamb steaks as well.

By popular request we have now obtained some more mutton. This comes from Home Farm at Colne, so is local produce. If you require a specific cut please let us know quickly, as we don’t know whether we will be able to get any more. We have also restocked with venison, having sold out at Christmas and been unable to obtain the right quality until now. We shall be having all cuts available but once again if you have a specific requirement please let us know.

Our contact numbers are on the front of the newsletter, so if you need any help or advice please don’t hesitate to call.



QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER JAN 2007

 I hope that you all had a very Happy Christmas and that all the produce matched up to the expectations. It is always a considerable concern that everything is as good as it can be. We take great pride in supplying you with everything in perfect condition for the festivities and we hope to have succeeded. If, however, there was a problem with anything or something did not meet with your satisfaction (for whatever reason), do please let us know as your feedback is very important to us. We constantly strive for perfection, so when things aren’t quite right, we need to know in order that we may put it right next time.

Last year was a good year for us, as far as awards were concerned, picking up several Gold Awards, at both the Barbecue Competition and evaluation and also later in the year in the Guild of Q Butchers’ Smithfield Award’s products evaluation/assessment. We hope to be able to continue the good work this year. We were particularly pleased with the successes of our sausage range as this is a very important part of our business. We will be looking to try some new recipes soon to keep the taste buds interested! Please feel free to let us know if there is a particular style of sausage that you would like us to make and we will do our best to find a suitable recipe.

Customer support is essential to us if we are to survive in the very difficult trading circumstances that exist for us. The affect that the major supermarkets have on small businesses is well documented, and for a small business to survive it needs supporting. I do not believe a business should succeed just because it is small, it still needs to provide for the customers requirements. However, if you feel that as a business we are worth supporting, perhaps you could encourage others to use us on a more regular basis.

We have been very pleased with the quality of the meat and other produce that we have sourced over the last year, and will endeavour to maintain the standard expected of us. We shall still continue to investigate other producers who may be able to improve on those that we currently use although this will be no easy task. We receive good support from our current suppliers and they are very receptive to our (and therefore, your) requirements. I managed to visit several of them during the past year and those that I was unable to get to I will try to visit this year.

January 25th is the Burns’ Night celebration and we shall be obtaining some genuine haggis from north of the border. If you are planning a special meal for the occasion please let us know in good time of your likely requirements. A beautiful set of ribs needs to be matured for three weeks, which doesn’t give us much time to arrange deliveries, so if you need a rib, it is imperative that you let me know ASAP.

Our charity pig collection over the last year has been very good. All the little bits of small change soon add up (and so do the large ones as well, of course). We have decided to support a very good friend of mine’s appeal this year and have chosen Myotubular Trust. For further information you can access their website www.myotubulartrust.com or read the explanatory leaflet in the shop. I will let you know shortly the value of the donation. We will, however, be continuing our efforts to support this charity.

Once again, thank you all for your support during the last year, we will endeavour to continue to provide you with the best produce that we can. Chris, Paul and I take this opportunity to wish you all a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year.



QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER DEC 2006

 Welcome to the December edition of the newsletter. Let me take this opportunity to wish you all the compliments of this festive season.

We really did well at the Guild of Q Butcher Smithfield Awards this year. We received four Gold Awards, for Traditional Pork Sausage, Venison Sausage, Beef Burger and Festive Pork Roast and Silver Awards for Country Herb Pork Sausage, Pork Burger Cordon Bleu and Lamb Sausage with Redcurrant. The presentation was made by Ed Baines of BBC's Saturday Kitchen and Ready Steady Cook fame (photo on the website soon). It was a delightful occasion.

As usual at this time I have to urge you to place your order for any requirements for the Christmas menu. It doesn't matter how mundane it may seem, (or that you perceive that we always have it), please order it to avoid disappointment. We believe in providing the best quality that we are able to source, but, we do not over order.

If you haven't as yet completed an order form, now is the time to do it. The most important items to order are Kellybronze turkeys; free range Essex geese and ducks; three bird roasts; and fully matured Scotch rib of beef and sirloin. We also stock dry cured bacon joints and rashers from Suffolk; the ever popular free range Blythburgh pork and, as seems likely, there will be some Gloucester Old Spot pork available, so do mention it if you would like some for Christmas or the New Year. We should be having Essex venison, which we will be able to supply as joints, steaks and Gold Award winning sausages; also pheasants, partridges, rabbits and hares. Just mention if there is anything else in the game department that you would like us to try and source for you.

I'm sorry about harping on, but there is nothing worse for us, than a regular customer being disappointed at this time of year so please order as early as you can.

We have a range of Baytree Company products in very attractive jars which make ideal gifts; also the essential Goose Fat and other accompaniments.

We have new carrier bags available. Environmentally and eco-friendly, they are cream cotton and cost just £2.00 each. We are donating all the profits from these to the children's charity known as the Myotubular Trust.

Our opening hours for the Christmas week are our usual times, save for Saturday when we shall be open until 17.30 and Christmas Eve, when the door opens at 08.00 (not before (this is the only day of the year that we stick rigidly to this rule)) and closes at 13.00. We shall be closed then until Thursday 28th. We will also be closed from Sunday 31st December until Tuesday 2nd January and re-open 3rd January as usual.

Thank you for your custom and support during the last year, have a wonderful Christmas.

As usual, if you need any advice or assistance don't hesitate to contact us by telephone on 01702 710 133, email info@Qbutcher.com, our website www.Qbutcher.com or, preferably, call in to see us personally. There is also a recipe on the website each month if you need an idea for a meal.



QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER NOV 2006

 Welcome to the November edition of the newsletter. I find it hard to believe that it is November already, especially as the weather has been so wonderful. I think that I could be in favour of global warming!

British Sausage Week was the last week in October but I am extending it into November as it is a traditional time for bangers! We have different varieties suitable for breakfast, lunch or dinner, so try some soon. We shall also have our superb beef burgers available, and are happy to make kebabs for you if you are having a party. Just let us know.

With this newsletter we will be issuing a Christmas Order Form. If you haven’t received one and would like one, please ask. The reason for the order forms is to try to make a reasonable estimate of what may be required. We shall be using the Kellybronze turkeys from Paul Kelly at Bicknacre as usual), but there is not an indefinite supply and the weights can be varied. (Incidentally, we shall be getting a few in for Thanksgiving as well, but please order one if you would like one).

We shall do our very best to select as near as possible to the weight that you order, but cannot guarantee it. What we can guarantee is that if you order a turkey, you will get one. Geese are becoming more popular every year, so early ordering is advised for them. Last year we received a few requests for three bird roasts, so this year I am getting organised early for those of you that fancy a little luxury for the Christmas celebrations. They will be made using free range goose, chicken and pheasant with a pork and apricot stuffing. Please note that these will be frozen and you will need to allow time to defrost thoroughly. Beef needs to be matured for at least two weeks and preferably three to four and therefore our buying is organised in November. If you require a rib of beef or piece of sirloin, please order it to be sure that you get what you want. I hope that we shall still be able to source the Romney saltmarsh lamb and the Gloucester Old Spot pork, but as these are out of the ordinary run of supplies I won’t be sure until nearer the time.

We are now stocking most of the popular game types, venison, pheasant, partridge, rabbit, hare and pigeon. If there is something else that you would like, please ask and we will do our best to obtain it.

We also now have in stock some more Essex mutton. It proved very popular earlier this year and now that the weather is a little cooler, I think that the time is right to start using it again.

We recently entered some of our products into the annual Smithfield Awards product evaluation organised by the Guild of Q butchers, of which as you are no doubt aware, we are members. The Awards lunch is being held at the prestigious city of London venue, Butcher’s Hall. Celebrity chef Ed Baines will be presenting the awards and I am looking forward to meeting him. I think that he may well have something for me, but I can’t tell you yet.

We are still pleased to receive any spectacles if you have them.

As usual, if you need any advice or assistance don’t hesitate to contact us by telephone on 01702 710 133, email info@qbutcher.com, our website www.Qbutcher.com or, preferably, call in to see us personally.

"That’s all folks"





QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER OCT 2006

 We had a very interesting day last month. I was contacted by a representative of Insite (a government funded organisation which is promoting art, culture and tourism in Essex). They had organised the Essex Food Challenge for primary school children. Teams of two competed by cooking a two course meal, one main and one dessert.

The finalists were the Birch School at Colchester and the Moreton School at Ongar. Twin girls (Eloise and Grace) represented the Moreton School, and having decided to cook pork tenderloin needed to source it. They found our website and decided to buy from us. On the day of the cook off, they turned up with their headmistress Mrs Bard (a good name for a teacher I thought), a couple of PR people, award winning photographer, James Fletcher and Mark Baumann of Baumann’s Brasserie Coggeshall who was overseeing their purchases, and then the cook off, at his restaurant in the evening. Whilst they were at the shop, I demonstrated how to make sausages.

Both the girls, (and Mark Baumann), then had a try themselves with excellent results considering they were all attempting it for the first time. It was great fun and James took some excellent photos which I will put on our website in due course. I went to the evening cook off and it was very tense! The kitchen was hectic, but as there were children in it, there was fortunately no Gordon Ramsay to yell at them just Mark giving them the necessary guidance.

Steve Scruton of BBC Essex was the MC for the evening and his colleague Ian Wyatt was also present as Eloise and Grace were due to be interviewed on his Saturday morning programme on 16 September. Honours were even on the night and both teams were presented with hampers by Wilkin & Sons of Tiptree and honorary chef medallions by Mark Baumann. It was a most enjoyable evening and delightful to see primary school children being educated in sourcing and cooking local produce. Well done to everyone who was involved in the organisation of the event.

Autumn - the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness- as Keats wrote. It is a wonderful season, with the cooler nights, and, if we are lucky, sunny and pleasant days.

The darker evenings usually mean a return to some of the more flavoursome food ie. casseroles, pies, puddings, etc. We have now got some very good venison which is very suitable for rich casserole-style dishes. Other candidates are leg of beef, oxtail, cubed pork, chicken and lamb shanks. There is a lovely recipe for lamb shanks in the small tuck-in brochure that is in store now, but if you are not fortunate enough to get one in the shop, I have put it on our website as this month’s recipe.

I hope that you have all been doing your best to support British producers during British Food Fortnight. We try to source as much produce as we are able from small producers, but it is in the hands of the consumer as to how successful they will be. Small producers and small retailers are really struggling against the power of the major supermarkets and it is only the consumer who can help by supporting them more. The main reason for the demise of small businesses is that shoppers choose not to use them. It is no use bemoaning the fact that there are more and more cafes, bars and restaurants replacing retail shops, the shops wouldn’t need to close or sell up if people actually used them regularly rather than just now and again. Well, that has got that off my chest!

At the end of the month it will be British Sausage Week, and with the Hallowe’en Night and Bonfire Night celebrations around that time we shall be having plenty of sausages for you to buy. If you are having a "bit of a do" around that time please give us advanced notice of your possible requirements.

Many of you have noticed another friendly face in the shop now and again. It belongs to Robert Munt who has recently sold his businesses in Grays and Pitsea and is giving us a hand from time to time. Robert‘s businesses were in the Guild of Q butchers like ours is and he will be very pleased to give you the benefit of his advice and experience if you need guidance. Please don’t be afraid to ask. He doesn’t bite!

Eat well and keep well.

"That’s all folks"





QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER SEP 2006

 September can be a wonderful month with plenty of sun and pleasantly warm days. Hopefully, that is what we will get.

As far as food is concerned, I would imagine that the gardeners amongst you have been, and will continue to be, reaping the benefits of all the work that you have put in, and be picking lots of lovely fruit and vegetables. There is nothing like home grown for flavour and satisfaction. It is so much better than that which has travelled half way or more around the world to get here.

We shall of course endeavour to supply you with the meat necessary to complement such quality produce.

From 23 September until the 8 October is designated British Food Fortnight, and is intended to highlight the fine range of produce for which our country has a wonderful reputation. We always try to find something new for this occasion and this year is no exception. We ordered some new lines in advance, but they have already been delivered and are available now. They look seriously attractive (unlike the shop staff!) and those that have already been tried, taste wonderful too! They are from a company based in the West Country and I have already decided to order some more from their range. There are several very attractively shaped jars that would make ideal gifts for the person who has everything, or, that you would like to reward in some small way. I am also hoping to attend the Speciality Fine Food Fair at Olympia this month to look for some more new ideas.

Beef supplies at the moment are proving a little tricky. There is always a period of a couple of months around about now when this happens and hopefully things will return to normal soon. Unfortunately, the problem is exacerbated by the restrictions presently placed on some meat imports and this causes a knock-on effect.

There doesn’t appear to be any problems with the lamb or pork, but I don’t want to tempt providence! We will continue to use the local suppliers that have been selecting us the excellent produce that we are now used to receiving. The Blythburgh Pork has been especially well received and now that the cooler weather is with us I suspect that the demand for it will increase. Therefore, please, remember to give us advance notice if you will be requiring a large joint etc. for the weekend, so that we don’t disappoint you.

The award winning products that we created for the barbecue are also suitable for roasting in the oven, so we will continue to make them. We will obviously not produce quite as many, so do let us have a little notice if you require some.

Veal is enjoying a bit of a renaissance and is receiving more publicity of late. We stock the very best Dutch veal. We order it the week previous to delivery but only receive one delivery a week. We try to stock most of the cuts most of the time but, because of the relatively small demand, we buy it fresh then prepare and freeze it so that we nearly always have some. As usual please give us a call if you would like a specific cut. Contact details are on the front of the newsletter. TTFN.

QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER AUG 2006

 Whew, a proper summer at last. There have been a few complaints of it being too hot, but we really shouldn’t moan as it makes a nice change.

I’m not mentioning sport this month, after last month’s terrible performances. Football was dreadful, rugby was appalling, cricket wasn’t much better, Wimbledon was as per usual and then no British golfer troubled the Americans. At least the sun was shining!

If it continues as it has lately, we shall be producing plenty of barbecue products. Our Gold Award winning products (Lavender Lamb and Porco Pancetta) have proved very popular and we shall continue to make some every week. I am also trying one or two new products which I hope will be suitable for barbecuing and I will let you know their progress.

The steak burgers are selling well, and we are also now making turkey burgers, because some of you mentioned a preference for a burger made using white meat.

Our new range of kebab marinades, have met with approval. The most popular of the new ones being the Greek Passion (what’s in a name? I hear you ask). It goes particularly well with chicken or lamb, but can be used on other meats as well. It is not spicy, but has a lovely blend of Mediterranean type herbs. It’s well worth a try!

Don’t forget if you don’t fancy cooking, we sell a range of very good quality cold meats; Suffolk ham, free range dry cured smoked Suffolk ham, our own cooked Scotch roast beef, our own cooked Essex turkey breast, pressed ox tongue, also, Parma ham, salami, chorizo, and pate. We have a good range of fine quality cheeses, including Parmigiano, several cheddars, also goat’s, sheep and Buffalo varieties. We stock Spanish Mahon, Manchego and Majerero, French Comte and brie and Corsican Feta (a must for those lovely summer salads with olives and peppers).

We have added a few new products on the shelves recently; green and black olive tapenade, Jerk seasoning, Coconut Rundown Sauce, sweet potato marmalade (particularly delicious), and authentic Thai curry sauces. Don’t forget that we stock Cambridgeshire Apple Juice (direct from the supplier). There is a choice of dry, medium/dry, medium and sweet, with lovely apple varieties such as Bramley, Cox, Grenadier, Jonagold, Crispin, Laxton Fortune and Worcester.

We also have available; Spanish saffron, vanilla pods, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and various flavours of very good stocks and a range of sauces to accompany most meats.

Remember to call us in advance for any occasion when you know in advance what you will require so that it can be reserved for you.

I suspect plenty of you will be off on holiday now, so I wish everyone a very pleasant summer break. We all deserve to spoil ourselves at least once a year.

Thanks once again for all the pairs of spectacles, it is very much appreciated. We shall continue to collect them.

Toodle pip!

QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER JULY 2006

Welcome to the July edition of the Newsletter, I hope that you are finding the content of the newsletter of interest. Whether you do or not, I would appreciate your input. Is there enough information or not? If not, what would you like to be included? Please let me know.

Last month Chris and I went up to Suffolk to make contact and inspect, a few of the farmer/producers that supply us either directly or indirectly. We visited Jimmy Butler’s farm at Mells, where the Blythburgh Free range pigs are produced and raised. The free range pigs are the result of many years experience in the pork industry. Jimmy, his wife Pauline and his two sons, are all active in the business, and although it was a cold, wet and miserable day on the day that we visited, we received an extremely warm and enjoyable welcome. We were taken to look at the breeding/rearing area and then on to where the pigs grow to maturity. It is a very hard life for all concerned, but I assured them that the result of their labours was well worth the effort. The Blythburgh Free Range pork that we regularly stock, is among the best pork that I have tasted, and is almost comparable to the wonderful Gloucester Old Spot rare breed. The taste and texture are superb both as joints and as chops. It is also the meat that we use in the majority of our award winning sausages, the sales of which are constantly increasing and I have no doubt that this is not a coincidence! The next day we visited Gressingham Foods Ltd and J W Diaper & Son Ltd. The former company we use for whole ducks and breast fillets and the latter barn chicken. We were extremely impressed with both producers on the value they place on welfare. The ducks and the chicken are reared indoors, but not in battery units. They have plenty of opportunity to stretch their legs and can get water and feed whenever it is needed. It all confirmed what we had known before that everything is in place to make life as pleasant as possible. I am convinced that it is the reason for the satisfaction most of you express about the poultry that we sell.

Our new products are proving very popular, so much so, that we have sold out of porco pancetta and lavender lamb on the last two Saturdays. I know that I keep on harping on about it, but please do let us know in advance if you require either of them, (or anything else for that matter) as Saturdays are the busiest day of the week for us and we can’t second guess what everyone is likely to want.

The lamb is excellent now, and we continue to use G A Webb’s lambs from Warwickshire as they are very consistent in the quality. We are also now able to get saltmarsh lamb on a regular basis again. The first supplies came from Romney Marsh but I have now sourced some from Wales (Anglesey to be precise). It will be interesting to compare them.

We are constantly striving to find new tastes for you, and recently have prepared a pork roulade which seems to have been well received by those that have tried it. We shall continue with our efforts!

In the deli section we now have a new line or two. The potatoes I mentioned last month eventually turned up and have proved to be delicious. At the moment we are offering them with Herb and Garlic or Lemon and Thyme, but I have no doubt that other flavours will be forthcoming. We are also trialling a couple of different cheeses. A French one called Morbier (which a customer requested us to stock after a visit to France) and a Suffolk cheese made with the milk from Guernsey cows. They are quite distinctive cheeses and are recommended.

Barbecues are the order of the day at the moment, and the products take quite a time to prepare, so please let us know if you are planning one so that we can make sure that you get all that you need. Meanwhile, eat well and stay healthy.

QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER JUNE 2006

 Good gracious, it’s June already! How did that happen? Where has the time gone? It’s all a bit scary.

It is going to be a very busy month for sports fans, with the start of the football World Cup, the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and also Test cricket. I seem to think that quick and easy meals will be the order of the day. To that end we shall be trying to tempt you with some tasty meals that can be prepared in advance and then just heated up, something that can be cooked and served fairly quickly or a cold collation from the deli section.

The weather being totally unreliable, it might be a good idea to have a couple of casseroles prepared in advance and then frozen for future use! These can then be heated up and served with a baked jacket potato, creamy mash or just some lovely fresh crusty bread, and, if accompanied by a glass of decent red wine, any sport should be quite enjoyable and entertaining.

Sausage and mash is usually well received and we will have a selection of sausages to suit most tastes. Pasta and rice dishes are also quickly and easily prepared and we have a variety of products which could be suitable. We shall be preparing different varieties of meatball which are particularly suited to this type of meal. Pork, lamb, beef and poultry will all be available at some time, but please let us know if there is a particular type that you would like so that we can prepare them for you. We will also be producing some different varieties of burgers and grills for either barbecuing, frying or grilling. The steak burgers are proving very popular throughout the year but it is always good to have a different flavour now and again to keep the taste buds working. We have got some new ideas from a recent meeting that I attended and shall be looking forward to the response from the people that matter, ie you!

New deli lines this month are buffalo milk mozzarella pearls and bocconcini. These are sold loose so that you can buy as many or as few as you need and can be used in salads, on pizzas or in cooking pasta bake a la Jamie Oliver. We have a selection of Italian olives which are of excellent quality and are great to nibble at when the hunger pangs kick in whilst the sport is still being played! Also we shall be having a range of ready prepared potatoes which are suitable for use cold in a salad or heated up and served with barbecue food. There will be herb and garlic and also Bombay style. Your observations once you have tried them will be most welcome.

Our 2 new barbecue products have been very well received (thankfully), and we will continue to produce some each week, but please order them if you know that you will need some.

Finally, thank you to all the people that brought in old spectacles, we will continue to collect them if you find some more at a later date. Come on England!!

Good health and happy eating.

QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER MAY 2006

 Welcome to the May edition of the Newsletter. After a very busy April, we have a little time to catch up on things generally as there is only the one holiday weekend of note, at Whitsuntide. I mentioned last month that Chris and I were going to a Q Guild meeting at Chepstow which included the annual barbecue competition and product evaluation. The senior judge was Franco Taruschio, who, although now retired, had been the chef/patron of the renowned Walnut Tree Inn at Abergavenny. We took a couple of new products with us which we were keen to get evaluated, especially by someone as eminent as Franco. We were very pleased when both products gained Gold Awards.

The products are called “Lavender Lamb” and “Porco Pancetta”. We shall be producing these products for the barbecue season, but it will be important to let us know in advance if you would like to try them, as we will only produce as many as we think we may need.

The Lavender Lamb is a piece of lean, boneless English lamb from the leg or rump. It is seasoned and then marinated in olive oil, lavender and rosemary. We recommend that it is cooked whole (approx. 350g-600g in weight) and it shouldn’t be overcooked. If you have a cooking thermometer it should be cooked to an internal temperature of between 60°C-65°C and not more than 72°C. Remove from the heat, leave to stand for about 5-10 minutes then cut into slices and serve.

The Porco Pancetta, consists of pork tenderloin, pesto sauce, pancetta and sausage meat. This, too, should be cooked in the piece, but to a temperature of not less than 72°C. Remove from the heat, leave to stand for 5-10 minutes and then cut into slices and serve.

As the weather may not be conducive to barbecuing, both of these new products are suitable for cooking in the oven. I hope that you will try them and let me know your opinion.

I like to introduce a new sausage each month and this month is no exception. I got the idea when I was visiting the Elite Butchers of NI a couple of months ago, although it contains no Guinness! It is Pork with Stilton and Walnut and is made from our fresh, free range Suffolk pork from Blythburgh, and Colston Bassett Blue Stilton. I think that you will agree that they are an unbeatable combination of top quality ingredients.

And now for something completely different! Have you any spectacles that you no longer require? My friend Kim, who is an optician, is raising money and awareness of the need for optical help in third world countries. The charity, called Vision Aid Overseas, collects, sorts and distributes spectacles to those areas. If you do have any unwanted spectacles cluttering up the house, please fetch them in and I will deliver them to her.

Good health and happy eating.

QBUTCHER NEWSLETTER APR 2006

A busy and enjoyable month lies ahead both personally and for the business. Firstly, we, (Chris and I), are going to Chepstow for a meeting of The Guild of Q Butchers which includes the annual BBQ competition, and we shall try to pick up some ideas for the forthcoming summer season.  This is also the start of our financial year and so marks the fifth anniversary of the formation of Scotch Beef Ltd.  I guess that will need to be celebrated in some way!

After a quiet start, there are three big weekends in a row this month.  They are Easter, St George's Day and the May Bank Holiday weekend.

Easter is an unpredictable holiday as far as both weather and trade are concerned.  Obviously the first somewhat defines the second.  How to cope with the vagaries of the weather makes it very difficult for us to estimate what you, and therefore we, require.  As far as beef is concerned we have a fairly good stock now, because we mature it for two weeks (and preferably three) before selling it.  This means that there is not an endless supply, so that if you know that you are going to require a rib of beef, please let us know by filling in an order form as soon as possible.  This also applies to turkeys, ducks, large chickens and anything else for your special meal.  I know it gets boring when I keep on about ordering, but the disappointment I see every now and again is not something I enjoy.  So please let us know well in advance.

Now that we are at last beginning to celebrate St Georges Day, the same situation arises with regard to the wonderful Roast Beef of Olde England (even though ours is from Scotland), so if you are planning a get together for that weekend you could have steak for Saturday evening and roast beef for the Sunday, perhaps?  I am hoping that the spring lamb will be available soon, but with the poor weather so far this year they may be a little later than usual.  We shall of course do our best to get some as soon as possible.

The following weekend is the May Bank Holiday and has become a new tradition as the first big BBQ weekend of the year (weather permitting of course).  We shall be offering your favourite products like kebabs, sausages, ribs, chicken and burgers etc. but also some different products this year, some we already know about and some we are still trying out.  We will however be having a new sausage available from next week, which was voted 'Britain's Best Sausage' in the 2005 Meat Industry Awards of the year, and is pork with caramelised onions.  Why not try them with a little of one of the chilli sauces that we sell.

The mutton we sold seems to have been very well received and we now have some more in stock.  Also we are getting some more of the recipe leaflets, so call in and pick one up when you are next shopping and give one of the recipes a try.

 PREVIOUS NEWSLETTERS

To Access previous newsletters please click on the following links:

March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005


MAR 2006

Being members of the Guild of Q Butchers we submit our business for an independent appraisal on a regular basis.  The audit is carried out by EFSIS (European Food Safety Inspection Service) which carries out audits and inspections throughout Europe. 

The standards cover quality in every aspect of the business  from meat to meat products, shop appearance and product display, staff knowledge, general hygiene and customer service. Information is required on the sourcing of meat in order to demonstrate support for British produce, and beef roasts and steaks require to be properly matured to provide the best possible eating experience. 

Our business was awarded top 'A' grades for both quality and hygiene in the latest audit.  Needless to say we are delighted, and hope that you are too.

The crocuses have appeared on the green opposite our shop which, hopefully, is a sign that spring may not be too far away. Let us hope so.

There are two or three opportunities for special meals this month.  We have the Saints days of St. David and St. Patrick (1st and 17th respectively) and the all important Mothering Sunday on 26th of the month.

If there are any special requirements, please let us know in good time.  We shall be preparing the beef to be fully matured and ready for cooking, but early ordering is recommended.

There has been a lot in the press recently about a return to eating mutton.  This meat does of course need a little more attention and longer cooking, but you will be rewarded by the wonderful flavour of mature meat.  I have sourced a supply from the north of the county and if you would like to try some please ask.  I will be able to supply you with a recipe idea if needed, or you can have a look through the book by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall for some ideas.

Those of you who visit us regularly will know of the different items that we stock.  Amongst them are coffee beans from the Nairobi Coffee and Tea Co Ltd. This is superb coffee and we carry 8 or 9 varieties of pure or blended styles including decaffeinated Columbian.  To encourage you to give them a try, for the month of March, when you buy 125gr of any type we will give you 150gr, which is an extra 20%, free of charge.

I have re-introduced Lincolnshire Poacher into the cheese counter.  This is a superb cheddar type cheese made by Simon Jones and is wonderful.  I have also added a couple of new goat's cheeses as they are becoming more popular.   Gevrik from Cornwall and an unpasteurised French cheese called Soignon.  Both are at the milder end of the taste spectrum.

Finally, don't forget the usual mantra, if you know in advance of something you require, to avoid disappointment, please let us know.

Happy eating!

February 2006

We are very pleased and proud to announce the details of our success in the Smithfield Awards organised by the Guild of Q Butchers.  The product evaluation took place last November at the Thomas Danby College in Leeds, with the results being announced at the Butchers' Hall in London, Tuesday 17 January.

The certificates were presented by celebrity chef Nick Nairn (one of the chef's that appear on Ready Steady Cook). 


The awards were presented at a special lunch in
Butchers Hall, London, by celebrity chef Nick Nairn.

We achieved 2 Gold awards, one for the Gloucester Old Spot Sausages and one for the Pork Sausage with Chives. 3 Silver Awards, for our Traditional Pork Sausage, Venison Sausage and Venison Burger, and 2 Bronze Awards for our Scotch Beef Burger and Scotch Cooked Roast Beef.  Chris and I travelled to London and had a splendid lunch that preceded the presentation.  All in all it was a great result for us and justification for our insistence on quality.  We both appreciated Paul holding the fort for us especially as he had made a substantial contribution to the making of the winning products.

Nick has also sent us a recipe for coconut beef with crispy noodles, which we have placed on the website and we are very grateful for him sending it to us.  There is also a link to his website on the links page.

Moving on, this is the month for romantics, and we shall be having lots of lovely mature steaks (with ready made sauces available if required) for the important day (14 February for the men reading this), also Valentine Pork or Lamb Steaks to order.  If you would like something more adventurous, just give us a ring and we can discuss your requirements.

February can be a cold and dismal month, but we will try and brighten it up a little by having a promotion for mince.  It is very versatile and can be used in so many different recipes.  However, it is a very quick, easy and nourishing meal when served with pasta, so our special offer is that when you purchase any specie of mince (minimum 500g) we will offer you a bag of spaghetti or pasta shapes for just 55p instead of the usual 99p.

We have also very recently stocked a brand new product from the company that supplies us with the sweet chilli sauces (Orange, Ginger, Garlic, Coriander, Lemon Grass and Pineapple).  They are Thai Curry sauces made from the finest ingredients.  There are three varieties, Red, Green and Yellow.  They are not too hot, (hopefully), but each jar serves 2-3 people depending on personal preferences and is just added to the meat variety of your choice.

Don't hesitate to contact us if you have any special requests or questions.  Contact numbers are on the front of the Newsletter.

January 2006

Well, there goes another year. It really is quite amazing how much quicker the time passes as one gets older (and I am certainly that)! I think it is all about trying to fit as many good things into one's life as is possible while it is possible. Anyway, I think that that is enough of the homilies.

Firstly, I would like to thank everyone that placed a Christmas order with us this year. It is very much appreciated. It is, as you have possibly observed, an extremely busy time for us, but we endeavour to ensure that everything we sell is in perfect condition for the festive meals. As we serve many more people at this time of the year than the rest of it, you can imagine the difficulties in trying to get the buying right. Our turkeys have to be ordered in October, the beef has to mature for at least three weeks and so quite a bit of guesswork is involved. Perhaps those of you that just shop with us at Christmas would consider popping in once or twice during the year. It would enable us to judge things more accurately. (And incidentally, help to make sure that we are still here for next Christmas).

Giving a good service is important to us, but, unfortunately, at this time of year there is probably quite a bit of waiting time on your part. Please be patient with us, we are doing our best.

We hope that all your produce is of the standard you are expecting, but, if there are any problems, please let us know and we will do our utmost to rectify them.

In the New Year, we shall of course endeavour to continue to search for top quality producers that supply top quality meat for us to stock. Although our current suppliers are very good indeed, it is always necessary to keep an open mind.

In January, Chris and I shall be attending a Guild of Q Butchers prize giving lunch at the Butchers' Hall in London. We are not expecting to return home empty handed! Nothing more can be mentioned as all product winners have been sworn to secrecy.

I shall be able to give more information in the next newsletter. If you are unable to get to the shop at that time, the newsletter is always available on our website, so just log on and have a look and see how we did.

Chris, Paul and I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas, and wish you a Happy Hogmanay, and a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year.

If you didn't have a haggis to celebrate New Year, Burn's Night is January 25 and we shall be stocking the little beasties for that occasion. But do please give us advanced notice if you require one.

As usual, if you need any advice or assistance don't hesitate to contact us by telephone on 01702 710 133, email info@Qbutcher.com, our website www.Qbutcher.com or, preferably, call in to see us personally.

There is also a recipe on the website each month if you need an idea for a meal.

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December 2005

Welcome to the December edition of the newsletter. Let me take this opportunity to wish you all the compliments of this festive season.

As usual at this time I have to urge you to place your order for anything that you particularly fancy for the Christmas menu.  It doesn't matter how mundane it may seem, (or that you perceive that we always have it), please order it to avoid disappointment.  We do not enjoy saying that we have sold out of products, but we believe in quality, and as such, we do not over order.

If you haven't as yet completed an order form, now is the time to do it.  The most important items to order are Kellybronze turkeys, free range Essex geese and ducks and fully matured Scotch rib of beef and sirloin.  We also stock dry cured bacon joints and rashers from Norfolk, which are Freedom Food monitored by the RSPCA.  It seems that there will be some Gloucester Old Spot pork available, so do mention it if you would like some for Christmas or the New Year.  We should be having Essex venison, which we will be able to supply as joints, steaks and sausages and also pheasants, partridges, rabbits and hares.  Just mention if there is anything else in the game department that you would like us to try and source for you.

However, as I mentioned earlier, for the most important meal of the year for the majority of us, whatever you particularly require, that is what you should order.  I'm sorry about harping on, but there is nothing worse for us, than a regular customer being disappointed at this time of year.

We have recently stocked a few new ranges of items on our shelves, which may be of interest as gifts for the person who has just about everything.  There is award winning olive oil with a pourer attached, a range of Polish forest fruit compot/puree, sweet chilli sauces from Suffolk, a couple of chutneys suitable for diabetics, sweet potato marmalade, red onion marmalade and quite a few more for your delectation.  We also stock superb Goose Fat on a regular basis.

Our opening hours for the Christmas week are our usual times, save for Christmas Eve, when we do not open the door until 08.00 and finish at 13.00.  We shall be closed then until Thursday 29th.

Thank you for your custom and support during the last year, have a wonderful Christmas.

As usual, if you need any advice or assistance don't hesitate to contact us by telephone on 01702 710 133, email info@Qbutcher.com, our website www.Qbutcher.com or, preferably, call in to see us personally.  There is also a recipe on the website each month if you need an idea for a meal.

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November 2005

Welcome to the November edition of the newsletter. I find it hard to believe that it is November already!

I'm not a great fan of the Halloween celebrations, but I am all in favour of Bonfire Night.  The fireworks these days are very impressive and well worth watching.  British Sausage Week was the last week in October but I am extending it into November as it is a traditional time for bangers!  We shall be producing the usual favourites with some new varieties.  Why not take the opportunity to sample a different type.  We have varieties suitable for breakfast, lunch or dinner, so let the tasting commence.
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With this newsletter we intend to issue the Christmas Order Forms.  If you haven't received one and would like one, please ask.  The reason for the order forms is to try to make a reasonably accurate estimate of what may be required.  Unfortunately we don't have a crystal ball and estimating is not a perfect science.  We can do with a little guidance.  We shall be having the Kellybronze turkeys as usual, but there is not an indefinite supply and the weights can be varied.  We shall do our very best to select as near as possible to the weight that you order, but cannot guarantee it.  What we can guarantee is that if you order a turkey, you will get one.  Geese are more in demand now as well, so early ordering is advised for them. Beef needs to be matured for at least two weeks and preferably three to four and therefore our buying is organised in November.  If you require a rib of beef or piece of sirloin, please order it to be sure that you get what you want.  I hope that we shall still be able to source the saltmarsh lamb and the Gloucester Old Spot pork, but as these are out of the ordinary run of supplies I won't be sure until nearer the time.

We are now stocking most of the popular game types, venison, pheasant, partridge, rabbit and pigeon.  If there is something else that you would like, please ask and we will do our best to obtain it.

In the deli section we are now stocking the cheese recommended by 'Wallace & Gromit', namely Stinking Bishop. It does smell quite ripe but is actually a very smooth, creamy soft texture and is quite mild and delicious. The reason for the odd name is that the rind is washed in the perry of the Stinking Bishop pear.   Just ask for a taster next time you visit us.  We also stock three very good Spanish cheeses, Mahon which has a very mature flavour.  Sheep milk Manchego and goat milk Majerero.  For those who are unable to have cow's milk cheese, these two are a super alternative.

As usual, if you need any advice or assistance don't hesitate to contact us by telephone on 01702 710 133, email info@Qbutcher.com, our website www.Qbutcher.com or, preferably, call in to see us personally.  There is also a recipe on the website each month if you need an idea for a meal.

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October 2005

Welcome to the October edition of the newsletter. 

There is a definite autumnal feel around now, and that means a return to COMFORT food. (Well it does for me anyway).  A weekend joint now seems the best option after all those lovely summer barbecues, salads and other lighter meals.  All the meat species are eating very well at the moment and are reasonably plentiful in supply, though of course we appreciate a little notice for any of them if you have decided early in the week exactly what you require.

As a change however, we are now getting into the game season.  We are already stocking partridge, pigeon, venison and rabbit, and will be getting the first of the pheasant in as soon as we can.  We have also found a supplier of free range Guinea Fowl and first reports are that they are very good.  We continue to stock the Essex free range chickens and they are proving very popular, especially since the Dispatches programme a few weeks ago on Channel 4 exposed some decidedly unsavoury practices in the production of the supermarket birds.  It is a fact of life that you get what you pay for and we will not cut any corners where quality is concerned. 

Another popular change around now is the return of the cooked weekend breakfast.  In the summer we were able to source another supplier for our bacon.  The company is based in Norfolk and supplies us with free range dry cured bacon with the Freedom Foods label, which means that it is monitored for quality and husbandry by the RSPCA.  We have the full range of Back and Streaky rashers, also Gammon joints all available as smoked or unsmoked.  I have been very impressed with the consistency of the quality and hope that you will be as well.

At the end of the month is British Sausage Week and we will be making extra supplies of your favourite sausages and introducing some new varieties eg. Pork & Apple, Pork & Tomato and Pork with Blue Stilton.  Come and have a try of something different and tickle the taste buds.

As usual, if you need any advice or assistance don't hesitate to contact us by telephone on 01702 710 133, email info@Qbutcher.com, our website www.Qbutcher.com or, preferably, call in to see us personally.

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September 2005

Welcome to the September edition of the newsletter. 

I cannot believe how quickly the time has gone this year.  However, we have had a splendid few weeks to end the school holidays.  I hope that those of you that went away had a good break and have returned refreshed.

From September 18 until October 3 has been designated British Food Fortnight and we shall be supporting that by continuing to sell as much locally sourced meat as possible.  All our pork is from Essex farms, some lamb from Warwickshire with the saltmarsh lamb from Essex.  Our free range chickens are from Essex and our barn chickens from Suffolk.  Our bacon is all dry cured, some from Suffolk and free range freedom food registered from Norfolk.  All our beef is sourced from Scotland, some from Inverurie and some from Saltcoats.  We also stock a range of jams, marmalades, jellies, sauces and other comestibles from companies registered with the Taste of Anglia organisation.

We stock sweet chilli sauces made by Modern Thai Foods, a small company based in Suffolk.

These are only some of the products that we sell, come and have a good look around for yourself, I'm sure that there will be something to tempt you!

If the weather continues to be warm and pleasant, we shall be making kebabs and other barbecue products as a matter of course, but if you know that you will need some, please let us know in advance so that we can make sure we have your requirements.  Our sausages and burger varieties are so popular that we shall be stocking them all the year round.  Where possible we will have freshly made products, but as a standby we normally have a selection available from the freezer.

By request we now have venison in stock and can offer a range of chops, steaks, joints, sausages and burgers.
 
We are always ready to listen to your suggestions of ways to improve our product range and service to you, so please don't hesitate to let us know your thoughts or ideas.

As usual, if you need any advice or assistance don't hesitate to contact us by telephone on 01702 710 133, email info@Qbutcher.com, our website www.Qbutcher.com or, preferably, call in to see us personally.

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August 2005

First of all, welcome to the August edition of the newsletter.  I hope that you are finding the content of them useful.  If not, or if you have any suggestions to make, please make them known to me.  I would appreciate your input. 

We have decided to extend the Italian promotion for another two weeks and it will now finish on 13 August.  I thought that with so many of you taking an early holiday I would give more of you a chance to take advantage of the offer. As an alternative to barbecues, a selection of meats, cheeses and olives etc. can be a very simple and tasty method of al fresco entertaining.  A good bottle of Frascati, or a light red such as Valpollicella, can go very well with them. We have a selection of superb Italian meats (ie. prosciutto, mortadella, Bresaola, salame); cheeses (Parmigiano, Taleggio, Buffalo mozzarella, Gorgonzola and Pecorino); olives (plain or stuffed); and accompaniments.  Please feel free to ask for a taster if you are not sure if you like something or not.

At the end of the month we have the last Bank Holiday weekend before Christmas (what a frightening thought, I wish that I had not mentioned it!), so bear in mind the need to order any special requirements that you may have.

All the meats are particularly good at the moment.  Beef is traditionally a little scarce at this time of year, but there shouldn't be too many problems with the supply, although as usual the steaks are likely to increase in price as the demand increases for that quick to prepare special meal.

Out of interest, did anyone hear me on BBC Essex talking to Oliver Rogers about sausages on 22 July?  I invited him to the shop and showed him the whole manufacturing process from meat selection to filling them into casings.  He seemed to have a good time.

Don't forget that we can make a small batch of sausages (minimum 2.5kg) to your own specification if you require them. (ie. Gluten Free)

As usual, if you need any advice or assistance don't hesitate to contact us by telephone on 01702 710 133, email info@Qbutcher.com, our website www.Qbutcher.com or, preferably, call in to see us personally

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July 2005

Welcome to the latest edition of the Newsletter.  This month marks the start of the main holiday season and I wish all of you a good break away from the normal routine.  Chris and I have already had a week away and went to Turkey.  We had never been before, but will certainly go again.  We enjoyed some traditional meatballs prepared by Fikret, who ran the bar at the small complex we were invited to by friends, and also a dish called menemen, a type of omelette with fresh peppers, tomatoes, onions & chillies, delicious.

Talking of delicious, the Warwickshire lamb is eating exceptionally well and is recommended.  We are also now receiving a supply of Essex saltmarsh lambs from Lawford Hall farm near Manningtree.  The flavour is subtly different and the meat has a slightly different texture.  If you require a leg of lamb for the weekend, please let us know in advance as they are inclined to be popular.  If you require us to bone and roll it for you or maybe butterfly it for the barbecue, we would appreciate a little notice, especially at the weekend.

I also managed to track down some different rare breed pork, British Lop and Royal Berkshire. I will be trying to get further supplies of them both.  Please let me know if you would like to try some the next time it is available.
It has been a fitful start to the barbecue season (no change there I suppose), but we have been selling plenty of our home made steak burgers, ribs and kebabs.  We are also making our own version of 'Britain's Best Barbecue Sausage' (a subtle blend of prime free range pork, peppers & hot spices), that won the title at the Guild of Q Butchers 2005 National Barbecue Championships.

If you would like something different, we can offer you venison steaks or kebabs, spatchcock Poussin, veal grills cordon bleu, Ostrich steaks and marinated steaks.  These are not always in stock so please telephone to check before coming in.

For two weeks beginning 18 July, our deli section will be promoting a selection of superb Italian meats (ie. prosciutto, mortadella, bresaola), cheeses (parmigiano, taleggio, buffalo mozzarella) and olives.

Contact us by telephone on 01702 710 133, email info@Qbutcher.com, our website www.Qbutcher.com or, preferably, call in to see us personally.

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June 2005

What a change in the weather at the end of last month!  It encouraged quite a few people to organise the first BBQ of the season, and I hope that they all went well.  The first week of June has been designated National Barbecue Week, so I suspect that there will be mentions in the media to that effect.  Hopefully the weather will be kind enough to encourage those that haven't had their first one to get the BBQ out of the shed and give it a good clean up ready for the summer months.

We shall be having a variety of BBQ products available, but if there is something you would particularly like us to prepare for you, please don't hesitate to contact us by the usual methods mentioned at the end of this screed.  Steaks are a particular favourite for the majority of people and we shall endeavour to have a good selection available all the time (Rump, Porterhouse and Rib Eye), but PLEASE order in advance if you know that you will definitely be requiring some.  We can also marinate or season them in advance on request.

Later in the month is another very important date.  June 18 is Father's Day.  We shall be maturing extra beef and steaks for that weekend as these are the most commonly ordered request for the main meal that day.  Once again please let us know in advance if you would like us to reserve something for you.  There were some disappointed customers when the first new seasons lamb arrived because we sold out!  Every effort is made to estimate your requirements, but we do not have a crystal ball, and we do not enjoy saying no.

The new seasons lamb is now available on a consistent basis, and the quality from our supplier in Warwickshire (G A Webb) has proved to be superb.  Hopefully the Essex saltmarsh lamb will be available in the next few weeks.

When you are next online, go to our website and check out the important message from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. It deals with the issues surrounding meat and meat eating and the important role that you, the consumer, have in the process.  Hugh has given me permission to reproduce it on my website for which I am grateful.

Contact us by telephone on 01702 710 133, email info@Qbutcher.com, our website www.Qbutcher.com or, preferably, call in to see us personally.


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May 2005

IT S BARBECUE TIME.  Well, hopefully it is anyway.  If the weather is kind, there is nothing quite like an outdoor, al fresco meal, with good friends or family.  More relaxed than a dinner party, soaking up the sun as well as the wine, all makes for a feeling of well being.

We shall be having a good selection of meat and meat products for the barbecue this summer, but as usual, if you have any particular favourites, or you require something special, please let us know in advance.  We can't guarantee to be able to supply it, but we will do our best.

We shall be having our usual selection of top quality kebabs, some with well tried and trusted marinades, and some with some new ones.  The same applies to our home made sausages, which are always a barbecue favourite.  Traditional, Country Herb and Cumberland have always proved popular, but have you tried the very spicy Merguez, or the smooth taste of the Honey and Mustard?  We shall also be making some new varieties of our ever popular burgers, and trying out some new marinades on the ribs and steaks.  Do give us a ring if you are interested in discussing what we can supply.

The good thing about buying top quality meat and meat products is, that even if the weather changes, they can all be cooked in the oven or under the grill, if necessary.

Thinking of having a get together or party on Cup Final day, or a gathering for the air show?  We can supply the cold meats for the sandwiches as well as marinated chicken wings or drumsticks, ribs, sausages, etc. We also have a fine selection of cheeses, some very strong such as Keen's cheddar but plenty that just have a very good flavour.  If it is a cheese that you don't know, you are always welcome to taste the cheese before you buy it.

Whatever are your requirements don't hesitate to contact us by telephone on 01702 710 133, email info@Qbutcher.com, our website www.Qbutcher.com or, preferably, call in to see us personally.

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April 2005

Spring is here and, hopefully, the weather will start to improve from now on and we can look forward to the lighter evenings and some warmer weather.

The special days this month are the Royal Wedding on 8th, Grand National on 9th and St. George's Day on the 23rd.  The roast beef of Olde England should be on the menu that day, but, because I only sell Scotch Beef, I am going to recommend that you use that as an alternative!  We will, of course have plenty of Essex pork and chickens, and Warwickshire lamb should you require them as an alternative to beef. 

We may possibly have some spring lamb available later in the month, but it depends on many factors, so it can't be guaranteed.  We will be stocking it as soon as it becomes available on a regular basis.  There is nothing quite as enjoyable as the first meal using spring lamb, with, perhaps, green beans and minted potatoes.  Quite often the simple meals are the best.  I have chosen a recipe from Nick Nairn for this month using a leg of lamb.

Depending on the weather, the end of the month could provide the first opportunity to clean off the barbecue for a celebration of the May Day holiday.  If the signs are good, we shall prepare some barbecue meats such as kebabs, burgers, koftes, steaks, etc. and then hope that the sun shines.  At least it is nice to think about the possibility.  If you decide to give it a go, please let us know in advance if you require any specific favourites to be set aside for you.

We shall be trying out some new barbecue products this summer, as well as the favourites, so do call in and have a look.

Remember that we are only a telephone call away if you require any advice or guidance and don't forget to let us know in advance of any special meal that you may be planning.

Contact us by telephone on 01702 710 133, email info@Qbutcher.com, our website www.Qbutcher.com or, preferably, call in to see us personally.

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March 2005

Well, after a couple of quiet months, now we have a very busy one! As well as St David s Day, Mothering Sunday and St Patrick's Day, Easter also falls in March this year.

If you intend to celebrate any, or indeed all of these special days, please let us know in good time if you have any particular requirements.  There is nothing more frustrating than sifting through recipes and discussing options, only to find that we have sold out of the very product on which you had decided.  It doesn't matter how mundane you may think the requirement, please let us know and we can keep it aside for you.  A little forward planning can be well worth the effort.  If you are in any doubt or have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us by any of the methods noted at the end of this newsletter.

I have spoken to Paul Kelly recently, and he has confirmed that there will be some Kellybronze turkeys available for Easter.  I shall be reserving some, but early ordering is essential. I doubt that there will be any spring lamb available at Easter as it is early this year, but the Warwickshire lamb that we sell is still proving very popular and is consistently tender and flavoursome.

We shall be maturing a selection of Scotch ribs of beef to be available for any of the celebrations throughout the month, but as we mature the beef for a minimum of three weeks, once we have sold our stock we are unable to replace it immediately.  Once again, if you know that you will require rib of beef, please let us know in good time. 

Recipe cards and leaflets are always available in the shop, so please ask us if you need any. 

Have you remembered to enter the free Morphy Richards competition for a slow cooker?  If you haven't yet done so, the closing date is April 10.  Please enter, to help encourage support for the Guild.

Contact us by telephone on 01702 710 133, email info@Qbutcher.com, our website www.Qbutcher.com or, preferably, call in to see us personally.

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February 2005

Christmas is beginning to feel like a distant memory, with the dull month of February now upon us.

In the middle of the month, however we do have a date for the romantics amongst us, Valentine's Day.

This is an opportunity to celebrate with a loved one and share a special dinner.  It is difficult for everyone to eat out on this day because the restaurants are always full to bursting point.  If you are unable to arrange to eat out, why not share the special meal at home? 

We will have a fine selection of steaks at their mouth watering best and in the peak of condition.  For the health conscious this can be accompanied by an interesting salad.  If you want to forget about the health aspect, chips do go exceptionally well with the steak.  We can supply you with peppered or marinated steaks if you require them.  We also have a selection of French sauces to make life that bit easier.

As an alternative to beef, you could try venison steaks.  Venison has the advantage of being virtually fat free and is lower in cholesterol than beef.  Our venison is from Scotland.  We have some recipe leaflets available if required.

We will also have Essex free range chicken breasts, which are ideal with a pasta or rice accompaniment.  These too can be marinated or served with a sauce, just let us know.

Any meal should of course be preceded by a glass or two of something sparkling!

If you can't decide what to do, just give us a call and we will do our best to inspire you with some menu suggestions.We will of course have a fine selection of cheeses and other accompaniments.

If you have any comments, complimentary or critical, about the newsletter, please let us know.

Contact us by telephone on 01702 710 133, email info@Qbutcher.com, our website www.Qbutcher.com or preferably call in to see us personally.

Tel: 01702 710133 Email: info@qbutcher.com

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