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Anna Rumbol and Derek Brant, staff on the Butler Services Stall in Wokingham Market on Saturday.
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Wokingham butchers keen for customers to learn following horsemeat scandal

By Laura Herbert
February 25, 2013

Butchers are keen to educate customers about buying locally sourced, quality meat as shoppers turn against the supermarkets following the horsemeat scandal.

Across the borough, independent butchers have seen a rise in customer numbers as frozen beef products, including lasagne and burgers, have been stripped from the shelves at supermarkets around the country.

Russell Butler, of Butler Services in Farley Hill, said: “Every day there has been something in the national newspapers and some of my customers have said they did buy meat from the supermarket but they have lost trust.

“It’s going to shake the supermarkets up.”

Mr Butler, who sells his produce every Friday and Saturday at Wokingham Market, added: “All our meat is produced locally and has got 100 per cent traceability.

“When people buy food from us they are speaking to the person who has produced that meat. My labelling shows exactly what the meat is and where it has come from.”

Last week tests carried out by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) revealed eight horses slaughtered in the UK tested positive for veterinary painkiller phenylbutazone, known as bute, which is potentially harmful to humans.

Catherine Dopson, owner of Dopsons Butchers in Crowthorne, believes customers need to be educated.

She said: “We are not that much more expensive compared to a supermarket and if people shop here they know what they are having.

“People are frightened of butcher’s because of the price and because they are not used to knowing what weight and cuts to buy, but they can come in and ask us and we will show them and help.”

Mrs Dopson added: “If they were to buy what they normally buy in the supermarket they would probably find it would save them money.”

Keith French, who runs Wysipig in Arborfield and produces sausages, bacon, fresh pork and gammon, said: “My advice is to get to know your local butcher and if you haven’t got one, seek out your local farm shop because you will be able to get some assurance from that, or a farmers’ market.

“I’m sure you will find very good, traceable products and they may not be as expensive as you might expect.

“If you get to know your butcher and you are a regular customer, you will get good quality products and you can be confident about what you are buying.”

Twyford butcher Jon Thorner has seen trade increase by 10 per cent, with freshly-made beef burger sales up 30 per cent.

Paul Heaps, manager of the shop at Hare Hatch Sheeplands, said: “A lot of customers have been discussing the difficulty they now face in identifying packaged meat.

“It helps that we are able to tell customers we know every step of the path from farm to plate when it comes to the meat we sell.

“There is no question of it being shipped from one country to another or one factory to another.

“Only last week we launched a new beef meatballs product which is proving to be very popular because people know it is not contaminated.”

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Most recent user comments 2 of 2

One of the empty shops should be converted to an indoor market to provide a more hygenic environment for meat and fish stalls. This would include hand washing facilities and power for refrigeration.

PoneRana, Wokingham
25/02/2013 at 23:34

Let's hope that someone opens a butcher's shop in Wokingham Town Centre again then, so that those of us that cannot drive and have mobility problems, can get access to quality, local meat again using public transport. Hopefully at the same time, someone will open a proper greengrocers, a fishmongers and a non chain owned, artisan bakers. Who knows, perhaps those that sell the aforementioned products in the market will open shops in the town centre. Perhaps one of the empty larger shops could be utilized as a food hall where food traders could set up shop. I'd use it to buy quality local foods!