A POUNDBURY butcher has been nominated for a Butcher’s Shop of the Year Award.

The Brace of Butchers in Queen Mother Square has been nominated as a finalist in the New Butchery Business of the Year category.

The shop only opened in October last year and owner/partner Tom Amery said they were delighted to be recognised with the nomination before their first birthday.

The concept of Brace of Butchers took 12 months to set up.

Mr Amery explained: “We brought together two local butchers, Rob Owen and Ben Black, who had been working in the industry for 17 years, but were looking for something a bit more challenging.

“The butchery industry is quite traditional and we wanted to modernise it.”

He added: “They talk to the farmers each week and deal directly with them. They say what they are after- the quality, the breed of beef and explain what they are after. The farmers take it to the abattoir and we get the animals back in two days.

“We hang the beef for four to five weeks.”

The butchers age their own beef in their fridge on site.

Mr Amery said it was all about quality. He said they wanted people to be taking a walk at Maiden Castle and be looking down on the fields where the herds they get their beef from are reared.

He said: “That’s how it should be - we don’t need be shipping meat half-way around the world.”

But the butchers are not just about beef, they also stock local game, poultry, cheeses, cured meats, wasabi and garlic.

The small team of staff have already dealt with 25,800 transactions and Mr Amery said they had a loyal customer base that was expanding each week, including some visitors you might not expect in a butchers shop.

Mr Amery said: “We wanted to create something that’s fun. The best bit is that vegetarians will shop with us. We have a lot of vegetarians coming in and buying for their partners and for salads and vegetarian cheeses.

“It’s a huge positive. We have created an atmosphere they feel good in and they respect what we are trying to do.”

All the meat comes from within a 20-mile radius and the butchers work with local suppliers like the Bridport Smokery and Capreolus and John Hoskin and Son charcuterie business.

Mr Amery said they would be over the moon to win the award, he said: “We are delighted. It’s a prestigious award to be involved in.”

The winners will be announced in November.

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