| 2018-12-17 |    |
Butchers Host Visit from Champion Festive Beef Farmer
David Green, who owns K&J Green Butchers, in Heskin, Chorley has hosted a visit from a championship-winning farmer who has helped beef up his Christmas festive meat feast this year.
Mr Green welcomed beef producer Robert Critchley, whose family farms ten miles away in Hutton, near Preston, to his Withington Lane shop.
Pictured at K&J Green Butchers are, from left, championship-winning local farmer Robert Critchley, owner David Green and Skipton Auction Mart’s general manager and auctioneer Jeremy Eaton.
The Critchleys bred the overall champion in the un-haltered show classes at Skipton Auction Mart’s annual high profile Christmas primestock shows and sales last month and it was purchased by K&J Green Butchers for top price in show of £2,160.
Also on the fact-finding visit was the North Yorkshire mart’s general manager and auctioneer Jeremy Eaton. It allowed them view at first hand how the title-winning British Blue heifer has been prepared for this year’s keynote festive trade. Both producer and provider said they were highly satisfied with the quality of the beef.
Buying beef cattle for the first time at Skipton, K&J Green Butchers also secured the third prize heifer from the same home, reaffirming the shop’s long-standing commitment to sourcing all its meat from local farms wherever possible and cementing a long-standing supply partnership with the Critchleys.
Their beef always proves popular at the shop and the meat from the latest buys has been fully matured for up to 30 days to ensure it is in peak condition in terms of both texture and taste for the keynote festive trade. It is now available as Christmas roasts, steaks and all the other popular cuts.
“In the face of strong competition from other retail butchers, we went all out to get the best beef that money can buy for our customers’ Christmas tables. It’s a fantastic feast of festive fatstock!” said Mr Green, who has also secured prize-winning prime pigs at past Skipton Christmas shows.
K&J Green Butchers has been in the same family for over a century and is now into its fourth generation. Mr Green has been involved with the business both as man and boy, joining full time straight from school and taking over in his own right almost a decade ago.
He follows in the footsteps of his great grandfather Sidney, who first established the shop in 1912, which was then run by the founder’s two sons, Jimmy and Harry, then David’s father Ken, who, though now officially retired, still helps out in the shop on a regular basis.
There was originally an abattoir on the site in the days when butchers could prepare their own cattle from purchase to plate. “My forebears used to walk the cattle they bought from Wigan Auction Mart about eight miles by road to the shop, then do all that was required right here on the premises,” recalled Mr Green.
The former abattoir is now utilised as K&J Green Butchers’ in-house meat maturation and preparation unit to meet all the shop’s needs, including home cooked meats and hand-crafted sausages.
The current team at Greens also comprises Anthony Higham and Mr Green’s sister in law, Suzy Rigbye.
“While we have gone to extraordinary lengths to secure some of the best beef available for the festive season, our customers can rest assured that we are selling it at our normal shop prices. We like to think of it as an extra-special Christmas present for loyal people who have supported us all year long,” added Mr Green.
