Top Butchers In London

[curlywurlyfi]

Agreed, although I think you'll find that's butlers and Jamie Oliver.

And my friend Tilly, who orders through her mother's account!!

[grahamR]

I was amazed to learn you can get Buccleugh beef from QVC. Is it the real deal?

[MobyP]

I was amazed to learn you can get Buccleugh beef from QVC. Is it the real deal?

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I heard mythical things about buccleugh beef when I first came to the UK. Having now consumed at least 2 steers worth, I can't see what the fuss was over.

And my friend Tilly, who orders through her mother's account!!

Please supply account details in plain brown envelope...

Edited January 27, 2006 by MobyP (log)

[lambretta76]

Macken Brothers in Chiswick, as mentioned upthread, is great. Also, the one on Portobello that's called the something Edwardian Butcher Shop - it may be the one that someone else mentioned at 140 Portobello Road.

[balex]

Jay - Moens - definitely one of the greats. Top 3. Stunning place.

Matt - I would say Lidgates has gone the way of display food at ferociously high prices, with a certain loss of old school butchery. It's them Nottinghill Ladies wot done it.

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Lidagtes still has some good stuff, but it has gone a long way down the "organic chicken breast marinated in thai spices" route.

For me a good butcher has to sell tripe, and veal bones.

Lidgates does neither.

218 Portobello Road, has a halal butcher that sells cow feet and tripe and mutton. And is maybe 1/3 of the price of lidgates. But the quality is not so high.

[rjs1]

Portwines in Covent Garden for decent game.

Sadly, Portwine is long gone. I think that Graham Portwine developed MS and couldn't continue, and none of his children wanted to take over. It was a great place, doing things like salt marsh lamb and indeed Rothesay (sp?) lamb in season, plus being incredibly generous to my dog when I lived in Covent Garden.

An excellent if punishingly expensive butcher is Silverside in Clifton Gdns, W9. At more palatable prices, Ginger Pig, Northtfield Farm and Wild Beef at Borough Market all do it for me.

[Bridgemo]

218 Portobello Road, has a halal butcher that sells cow feet and tripe and mutton. And is maybe 1/3 of the price of lidgates. But the quality is not so high.

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I was interested to learn from an organic farmer in Herefordshire that she sells some of her hoggets every year to a halal butcher, whose customers like their stronger flavours.

Does anyone know of a halal butcher with really good meat. I'm always so excited by the animals and cuts they sell (so is Clarissa Dickson-Wright), but slightly distrustful after various unhappy experiences.

[Carlovski]

No mention of Allans in Mayfair - but then, only buttlers actually go there.

What is worrying is not how many names are on the list, but just how short it is.  For a city of seven million, a handful of good butchers is a damning indictment of the convienient, ready-made, through-away culture that is the UK today.

How many good local delis are there, or bakers, or cheese shops?

All so depressing.

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At least there are options in London - try getting out in the sticks.

[gethin]

Theobalds (on Theobalds Rd) is pretty good, especially for game.

There's also a useful butchers on Green Lanes (called Baldwins ?)

Neither of them are particularly into rare breed, organic stuff but they are certainly a few steps up from your supermarket meat counter.

Gethin

ps - I guess the picture out in the sticks varies , out in my particular stick (Lampeter in West Wales) getting local, properly hung and butchered meat is not a problem, we have a good butcher in Lampeter itself and a really excellent butcher in Tregaron.

[Mark Donnelly]

Theobalds is ok, as you say a step up from supermarket and your average high street butcher. It's tiny, but they do do veal bones and caul.

Would have thought Hamps was more getaway home county than sticks.

[Matthew Grant]

I was amazed to learn you can get Buccleugh beef from QVC. Is it the real deal?

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I heard mythical things about buccleugh beef when I first came to the UK. Having now consumed at least 2 steers worth, I can't see what the fuss was over.

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Agreed, what a disappointing breed. As Stevie Wonder might say "So what the Fuss?"

[Skooter]

Any suggestions for a good butchers in east london? Just moved to Silvertown...

Would love to find a good local-ish butcher and fishmonger.

[rjs1]

Portwines in Covent Garden for decent game.

Ginger Pig, Northtfield Farm and Wild Beef at Borough Market all do it for me.

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And Wyndham Poultry in Borough Market as well. Great game sausages, containing pheasant, partridge & pigeon last time I asked (and shot, we discovered).

[alexhills]

[lambretta76]

And Wyndham Poultry in Borough Market as well.  Great game sausages, containing pheasant, partridge & pigeon last time I asked (and shot, we discovered).

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Isn't it an amazing flavor shot imparts to game! Is this the stand that had the pheasants strung up outside of it? It was quite a savagely beautiful display.

I wish there was a market like that here in NYC.

[CheGuevara]

Any suggestions for a good butchers in east london? Just moved to Silvertown...

Would love to find a good local-ish butcher and fishmonger.

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not really east london (islington), but certainly on the fringes and well worth it is steve hatt - probably one of the best fishmongers in london. they're on essex road.

[muichoi]

Macken Brothers Turnham green

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Can't really agree-fairly able butchers but very average quality of meat.

[muichoi]

Jay - Moens - definitely one of the greats. Top 3. Stunning place.

Matt - I would say Lidgates has gone the way of display food at ferociously high prices, with a certain loss of old school butchery. It's them Nottinghill Ladies wot done it.

←

Lidagtes still has some good stuff, but it has gone a long way down the "organic chicken breast marinated in thai spices" route.

For me a good butcher has to sell tripe, and veal bones.

Lidgates does neither.

218 Portobello Road, has a halal butcher that sells cow feet and tripe and mutton. And is maybe 1/3 of the price of lidgates. But the quality is not so high.

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Tripe! where, where?(not the nasty soft bleached stuff!)

Edited January 31, 2006 by muichoi (log)

[balex]

Jay - Moens - definitely one of the greats. Top 3. Stunning place.

Matt - I would say Lidgates has gone the way of display food at ferociously high prices, with a certain loss of old school butchery. It's them Nottinghill Ladies wot done it.

←

Lidagtes still has some good stuff, but it has gone a long way down the "organic chicken breast marinated in thai spices" route.

For me a good butcher has to sell tripe, and veal bones.

Lidgates does neither.

218 Portobello Road, has a halal butcher that sells cow feet and tripe and mutton. And is maybe 1/3 of the price of lidgates. But the quality is not so high.

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Tripe! where, where?(not the nasty soft bleached stuff!)

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The place I am thinking of is on the east side of portobello road about a block south of Garcia, the spanish supermarket. It had two sorts of tripe, lamb and beef. This was pretty obviously not bleached.

Also, apparently they normally get a whole veal once a week, and will keep obscure bits of it for you if you want. Or so the guy said, but I haven't actually got my act together on this yet.

[rjs1]

And Wyndham Poultry in Borough Market as well.  Great game sausages, containing pheasant, partridge & pigeon last time I asked (and shot, we discovered).

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Isn't it an amazing flavor shot imparts to game! Is this the stand that had the pheasants strung up outside of it? It was quite a savagely beautiful display.

One of two with this sort of display in the market - the other is the wonderful Furness Fish & Game, which often has the greater part of a deer hanging up outside it.

[William Higham]

I'd recommend Meat City, http://www.meat-city.co.uk/, on the Farringdon Road.

Nigel Armstrong runs it as a one man business. The meat is sensational across the board, and he really knows his stuff.

[Jon Tseng]

Was in the very fine organic butchers on Lordship Lane, East Dulwich (end of the parade, on the right hand side heading out towards Dulwich library).

Well worth it. Queue out the door. Fantastic rib-eye steak - more marbling than the Great Court...

J

[Winot]

Was in the very fine organic butchers on Lordship Lane, East Dulwich (end of the parade, on the right hand side heading out towards Dulwich library).

Well worth it.  Queue out the door.  Fantastic rib-eye steak - more marbling than the Great Court...

J

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William Rose. Used to be in Vauxhall (called Hesters I think). Yes, very good.

[Jon Tseng]

And can I also add that I got an exceedingly fine veal chop from the meat counter at waitrose at canary wharf yesterday. They also have good, ocassionally excellent beef. Interestingly the "standard" aberdeen angus often seems to have better marbling than the posh dry-aged stuff.

J

[Romaney O'Malley]

Was in the very fine organic butchers on Lordship Lane, East Dulwich (end of the parade, on the right hand side heading out towards Dulwich library).

Well worth it.  Queue out the door.  Fantastic rib-eye steak - more marbling than the Great Court...

J

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William Rose. Used to be in Vauxhall (called Hesters I think). Yes, very good.

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I'll third that recommendation, one thing to note - no cards (just cash I think) which when you are buying lots is a bit of a hassle but hey, I am in the south east so no complaints from me about this oasis of goodness