As with all small businesses – you have great days and not so great days. Twice in the last 2 months we have had technical faults with our refrigeration units – that have forced us to close for a day. No big deal right? We post on Instagram and we adjust our Google opening hours – to let everyone know – which is pretty much all we can do for our truly great customers. I always want to make you aware of how much we appreciate your support.
But this perhaps masks the bigger point when failures occur. When we arrive in the morning to find the fridge at 15 degrees – everything in that fridge needs to be destroyed. Hours of work by our skilled butchery team wasted. More heartbreaking – the years that have gone into getting that meat to our shop and to your plates.
Our supply chain is small and personal. We know the issues our farmers face on a daily basis and the pressure nature alone puts on them and their livestock. The fine balances to be found during calving or lambing, pasture protection and crop yields for winter feed. This is even more acute in the hill farms where our lamb and venison are reared.
It is heart breaking to us that all these efforts occasionally come to nothing – and hard fought produce has to be dumped. Spare a thought for the beast, the farmers and the team of people involved in this complex and risky industry. I always take a moment to give thanks for all of their work after such not so great days.
But as always – like them – we go again!