Fodder wins Butchers' s shop of the year
Fodder, the Yorkshire Agricultural Society’s flagship food hall, has won the coveted Butcher’s Plus Award at the Butcher’s Shop of the Year Awards. Fodder’s Head Butcher, Paul Nicholson collected the award in ceremony in London full of the country’s most respected butchers.
Fodder is the UK’s first fully charitable food hall, with all profits reinvested in helping the rural community in the North of England.
Paul Nicholson explains, "The butchery counter at Fodder is the central focus of the shop and something we’re very proud of. We take our meat very seriously at Fodder. We are passionate about the quality of the meat that we sell from the animal welfare on the farm to the control that our own hanging room gives us to mature the meat to perfection. It’s a great honour to be recognised by your peers in the industry."
"We’re one of the few businesses that still visit farms to select their animals. I think it’s crucial to our success and our commitment to quality. I can inspect the farm, see how the animals are treated and secure a relationship between farmer and retailer. The issues of provenance, ethical rearing of livestock and sourcing quality product from the local area is at the heart of what we do at Fodder.
The Butchers Shop of the Year Awards are established as a leading annual event for the UK’s Independent Retail sector.
The finalists are judged on criteria including; innovative shop display and layout, meat quality, staff appearance and efficiency, customer service and most importantly co-operation with others in the supply chain, marketing and business.
Keen to keep costs competitive, Fodder price checks its meat against supermarket equivalents, while still giving the producer a fair price for their goods.
"Meat is something we can compete with the supermarkets head on, our sausages are all handmade on the premises, our chicken fillets are of high local quality and reliably cheaper than the supermarket. We also offer underused cuts of meat like belly pork and brisket as well as seasonal items such as local game. We offer full traceability, quality produce and great service."
