Local Supports Local
It is nearly a year since New Forest Family Butchers took over Barlows on Oliver’s Battery Road South, as the only butchers within the city of Winchester. Since then they have been establishing themselves and slowly filling the shop with delicious local produce.
Chris Street, owner, New Forest Family Butchers, commented: “People like to know where their food comes from. We are all about small independent businesses. We stock some locally grown vegetables, local cheeses, olive oils imported sustainably by Winchester business, Shipped by Sail, and now Winchester-based Butler Country Estate’s popular range of smoked trout pates and trout fillets.”
This new development came about when New Forest Family Butchers joined Hampshire Fare, the county food and drink group, in order to source more local produce for their shops. Hampshire Fare’s monthly networking events have brought them in contact with lots of local producers, including Richard Butler, owner of Butler Country Estates, a smokery in Winchester, making award-winning smoked trout pates and smoked trout fillets, using local trout.
Chris Street continued: "It was our first networking event at Hampshire Fare. We felt immediately welcomed and within the first 20 minutes of being there, started chatting to Richard who told us about his Hampshire smoked trout products - one of the things we have been looking to stock.He offered to drop off some samples the following day.
"We were extremely impressed with his products and are looking forward to this new working relationship. Not only do we now stock some new fantastic fresh and local products, which our customers are loving, but Richard has since put us in contact with other local suppliers which has been unbelievably helpful and appreciated."
Richard Butler added: “We always attend Hampshire Fare’s networking sessions and this one was at Lemon & Jinja in Romsey, where I met and chatted with Chris Street from New Forest Family Butchers. I dropped off some samples that week and we are now proud that you will find all our superb smoked trout products in his shops at Oliver’s Battery, Winchester, and West Wellow, Romsey.”
Since that network event, Chris Street has attended Hampshire Fare's latest network event at Hilton Doubleday Southampton where he met Christine Lee Wing of Callalo Corner, another Winchester business, and he is now stocking her selection of hot pepper sauces - a great accompaniment as a marinade or sauce for a choice of meats.