28/12/2025
**Probably the hardest post I’ve ever had to write…**
After a lot of soul-searching over the Christmas break, we’ve made the incredibly tough decision to close the shop for good this **Saturday 3rd January**.
We very nearly did it last Christmas, but chose to give it one more year. In all honesty, we wish we hadn’t. This year has been brutal — not just for us, but for a lot of small businesses. Even though shop sales were up by around 20%, the constant rises in meat prices and the general cost of running a business meant we’ve been working **60–70 hour weeks and effectively earning nothing**.
As we head into what would have been our sixth year, neither Andrew nor I has had a proper break. Not even a week off. We rely on each other so much that we simply can’t step away — and when the year ahead looks exactly the same, it starts to take a real toll.
I think reality really hit me earlier this month when I lost one of my dearest friends very suddenly. Not only did it make me think *“there must be more to life than this”*, but the moment that really shook me was asking his wife if she could avoid a Friday funeral… because I’d be too busy to go otherwise. That’s not living.
Many of you know I’ve also been struggling with my right hand this year. I can’t even hold a tray of five pasties properly, gripping a knife is painful, and chopping with a cleaver is almost impossible — especially when it’s cold. Butchery is a physical job, and I’ve had to lean more and more on Andrew just to keep going. Even carrying a lamb has become a challenge.
And then, just before the Christmas rush, I watched my own son being taken away in an ambulance because his back went and he literally couldn’t walk. That was the moment we both knew: **enough is enough**.
We’ve come to the painful but honest conclusion that neither of us is in a fit state — physically or mentally — to keep doing this.
Even so, it’s still an awful decision to make. For me, it marks the end of 53 years in the meat trade. What I will miss the most isn’t the early mornings or the cold rooms… it’s **you** — our regulars, our familiar faces, the people who popped in week after week and became friends, not just customers. If you can, please come in this week to say goodbye. You don’t even need to buy anything — I’d just love to see you.
We’ve chosen this week because our stock levels are at their lowest, so we’ll be running a **proper closing-down sale** with plenty of special offers and BOGOFs to help clear everything. It’s a good time to grab a bargain… and have one last chat.
Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for supporting us over the last six years. We truly couldn’t have done it without you.
Here’s wishing you all a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year.
Much love,
Steve & Andrew ❤️
