If you asked the average shopper what types of retailer were essential for a vibrant high street, it’s a fair bet a butchers would be among them.
Ruddington Village Butchers‘ Shane Ginty helped to bring T W Oliver’s historic Church Street premises back to life in March 2011, after our village’s last remaining butcher’s shop had lain empty for the previous seven months. He subsequently bought the business from original owner Stewart White and has now been running it, with a little help from his wife Nicola, for over four years.
Villagers’ support has enabled Shane to get through some challenging times for his profession – proving there’s still a demand for a dedicated, high quality butcher’s shop in our village, where a cheery welcome always awaits his customers.
So why should we choose to buy our meat from Ruddington Village Butchers, rather than from a supermarket? “I can cut meat to customer specifications and they can see exactly what they are getting” explains Shane. “If people are buying a really large joint of meat they can sometimes feel a bit intimidated by it. More and more nowadays I get asked for reassurance! I’ll happily give customers information about correct cooking times and temperatures to cook with. On the other hand, for those living alone, if someone wants just one sausage or one rasher of bacon I will do it.”
Naturally Shane offers a variety of cuts of beef, pork, lamb, chicken and turkey, along with cooked meats, homemade sausages and burgers, bacon and gammon. Unlike in most supermarkets, his bacon is dry cured – and there’s no added water in the fresh meat. “You get what you pay for” he says. “I also do turkey crowns on the bone, whole gammons on the bone, shoulders of pork and lamb on the bone, racks of lamb, chine on the bone and game.”
Shane’s own speciality sausages have become famous around Ruddington – with cider and leek, Lincolnshire, red wine and garlic, Spanish style, tomato and basil, venison, spicy lamb and many more. He aims to offer six different flavours every week. “If someone suggests a flavour that interests me I will try it” he beams. “This has occurred on several occasions.” You could try the recently added and award-winning Chambers Pork Pies, too: “These are in three sizes of 4oz, 11oz and 1lb weight. They also do a ploughman’s pickle and charcoal cheese pie in the lb size.”
For late season barbecuers, steaks, chicken fillets, burgers, sausages and spare ribs are on offer – but it won’t be long before Shane starts taking those festive orders! “Turkey is still the main choice” he reveals “but boneless crowns are becoming more popular than whole birds. The next most popular is gammon. These will all be plentiful at Christmas.”
Even non meat-eaters can pop in to Ruddington Village Butchers for free range eggs, condiments, preserves, pickles and an impressive range of speciality cheeses: Black Bomber, Pickle Power, Beechwood Smoked, Charnwood Smoked, Innkeeper’s Choice, Blue Stilton, Mature Cheddar and Red Leicester are all usually in stock.
Most Thursdays Shane is now offering 20% OFF a different selected product for the day. His ongoing “Meat for a Week” for just £20 deal (leaflet below) is well worth checking out, too!
For the very latest information, and other special offers, please keep an eye on the Ruddington Village Butchers Facebook page, ‘phone on 0115 878 1951, or just pop in to 15 Church Street. The opening hours are Monday 8.30am-4pm, Tuesday 8.30am-1pm, Thursday 8.30am-4pm, Friday 8am-4.30pm and Saturday 8am to 1.30pm.
Don’t forget to check out this month’s Ruddy Good Loyalty Offer, too!
