MEAT sales have soared during lockdown according to one of Bolton’s well-known butchers.

Dave Hamblett of The Farm Shop at Ryders in Manchester Road said that people have been shopping locally for quality meats from his butchers.

Dave, who works alongside his wife Veronica, said the demand has been high.

He said: “When we first went into lockdown the sales of chicken and eggs were high in demand and we couldn’t keep up.

“We have had some really busy periods and it’s quite a shock.”

Dave has been a butcher for 19 years and employs four people said the lockdown has reverted people back to basics.

He said: “People have been shopping locally and wanting to actually know more about the produce and the meat that they are eating.
“Because we have had more time on our hands people have been asking about the perfect cut and learning more about where their food comes from.”

Serving quality meats in the Bolton and North Manchester area, Dave and his team have won awards for the best sausage maker of the year three years on the trot, still using the winning recipe today.

Dave said all beef is hung for thirty days and the meats are all locally sourced.
He added: “One thing about the lockdown has been how interested the younger generation have been in their foods.

“We had one young girl come in and ask if she could have a tray of mince.
“She didn’t have a clue about the weight and how many people it was for, but we can answer those questions. It’s all about educating people and we can do that.

Supermarkets can turn around their produce quickly but the quality is not as good and not locally-sourced.”

Dave and his fellow butcher also called Dave make their our own sausages, burgers and cuts of quality beef, lamb and pork reared-by these trusted local farmers.

Dave added: “We source the highest quality meats available as close to our Farm Shop in Kearsley, Bolton as possible. Our cattle are sourced from red tractor stamped, Richard Sutton’s farm in Bamber Bridge. Our pork is sourced from James Law in Bacup."