A BOLTON butchers is helping people get their meat fix — by sending meat hampers across the country.

The family run Barrons of Beef launched its nationwide meat hamper service about six weeks ago, and has seen 'first class' interest ever since.

The Chorley Old Road based shop originally launched the hamper scheme about three years ago but only offered local delivery and collection within Bolton and Bury.

But now they have taken the plunge and have received orders from far and wide.

Phil Barron, the owner of the butchers, said the firm made £13,000 from the meat hamper delivery service alone.

Mr Barron, aged 39, said: "We were getting a lot of interest from outside the area, and since then we have sent packages as far north as Aberdeen and as south as Kent.

"We toyed with the idea and it took us a long time to get everything right with the courier and the payment method, but we have got it right now and it has proved to be really successful."

The shop offers a range of meat hampers online, but every week if offers a hamper costing £40.

The contents of the weekly hamper change depending on what meat is in season and the meat which the shop can obtain.

A recent hamper incluIded a large chicken, two large salt and pepper chicken breasts, two red Thai chicken breasts, two slices of flash frying steak, two 6oz beef burgers, two 6oz cheese and spring onion burgers, 10 slices of back bacon, eight pork sausages, a block of cheese, two pork chops, two gammon Steaks, 1lb of minced steak and 1lb of steak and kidney.

The firm has used Facebook to promote the hampers — which are enclosed in special packaging which keeps them refrigerated for 48 hours — receiving nearly 8,000 likes on its page.

Mr Barron added: "There are other people doing it but we are focusing on high end products with great value, and we have had lots of interest."

The shop has been in the Barron family for 37 years, and was initially run by Peter Barron but was taken on by Phil, his eldest son, in 2007, assisted by his younger brother Jonathan.

Aged just 18, Phil was the runner-up in a competition to find the UK’s best butcher.