Consumers in Oxfordshire can now buy a range of fresh, locally-produced, premium-quality meats, including pork and lamb joints, specialist sausages and Duns Tew organic beef from a local rural retailer.
The meat comes from Iron Down Farm, a family run mixed farm, which has diversified to supply local meat products under the name ’The Meat Joint’.
Garry Wharmby, Countrywide Retail Director, said: "In our stores we offer a small, quality food range and we are increasingly looking for ways to support local farmers, growers and producers in order to meet the needs of our customers.
"The Meat Joint therefore is a really good fit for us and serves to highlight the growing importance of eating food produced locally - The Chipping Norton store is less than six miles away from the farm and the Witney store less than 20.
"Countrywide was originally set up by famers for farmers, and this shows that we still are working to meet this remit – to both supply and to serve the rural community".
Sebastian Peissel is from the Meat Joint. "We are proud of our products, raising our animals in a more traditional way; paying close attention to feed, welfare standards, health and disease control, pasture management and providing the best possible environment for our livestock.
"Our on-site butchery means we can manage the whole process giving a high-quality end product in terms of texture, appearance and more importantly, taste.
"This partnership completes a healthy trade circle because we buy our feed, bedding, sheep wormers and animal health products from the local Countrywide store.
"We already sell though a number of Famers’ Markets and we are delighted to have this opportunity to work with a well known retailer."
Garry Wharmby concludes. "Early feedback from customers has been very positive and we will monitor the success of this initiative, whilst looking for similar opportunities across our 46 stores. I want to take this opportunity to encourage farmers to contact us for more information about how we can work together in similar partnerships."
