ADVERTISING FEATURE Richard went on to explain. “It’s more than just supplying a bit of meat to a chef, it’s about how they want it cut and prepared, where it’s sourced from and exactly when they want it delivered.” All this detail, of course, now runs through the business to the retail side. Woodhouse Butchery source their meat from local farmers where they can get whole carcasses, as they practice ‘head to toe’ butchery and use the entire animal. They also believe in supporting the whole of the UK, and as such get Scottish beef, Welsh and Cornish lamb, simply utilising the best ingredients our United Kingdom has to offer. And if someone wants Parma ham? Well they get it from Parma of course! It’s all about the highest quality ingredients possible at this butchers.
A CUT ABOVE Sara Whatley discovers how Woodhouse Butchery are punching way above their weight in the meat world with both their products and their extraordinary service
and run by the same family. Richard Woodhouse is the fourth-generation butcher in his family and is now Director of the business he runs with his wife, Jessica. “We started out with a property near St Bartholomew the Great hink you know butchery? church, around the back Think again. Woodhouse of Smithfield Market,” Butchery are predominantly Richard told me, “then catering butchers serving moved to Islington where I some of the finest restaurants in London worked for 24 years, then eventually and Sussex, as well as small bistros, Jessica and I took on the business street food vendors, in fact any chef ourselves and relaunched it in Haywards who wants an exceptional piece of meat Heath in 2014.” should come to Woodhouse Butchery. Having served highly demanding And now they are also serving the and exacting chefs who require their retail market with a new shop opening cuts just so, and their orders delivered soon at their premises promptly, Richard in Haywards Heath. and Jessica were off to But what makes this a head start with their Richard and Jessica company special is ability to serve their Woodhouse will source their extraordinary retail customers to any piece of meat for level of customer the same high degree. service – nothing is you, from 500g of mince “We have a website too much for them. where you can place to a whole suckling pig Richard and Jessica an online order, but if Woodhouse will source we were to list all the any piece of meat for you, products we offer it would from 500g of mince to a be endless,” Richard whole suckling pig, and explained. “Call us and they will put their years ask if we can get what of knowledge and you need. The answer expertise into every will always be yes.” order as well. “We like to Woodhouse meet with our Butchery have been customers to really operating since 1888, understand what their and are still owned requirements are,”
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Woodhouse Butchery would not have earned itself such an outstanding reputation if the meat they prepared wasn’t absolutely delicious and miles away from what supermarkets have to offer. “The difference is how we handle, prepare and store our meat,” explained Richard. To age their beef they use an aging cabinet, which is totally sealed and has a UV filter to stop bacterial growth. The beef hangs here for a minimum of 21 days, or 28 days, which according to Richard is the optimum, but if a chef requires it to age for longer it can be left. “As it’s sealed the air circulating in there is pure beef,” laughed Richard. “It’s not tainted with anything else and
