William Rose Butchers

[HonaloochieB]

*Bob* Wrote:

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> Chickens do come in different sizes, you know.

Of course they do *Bob*, and well done to you for taking the emphasis off the size of the cocks.

There's been far too much of it lately and I for one am feeling the strain.

[Fuschia]

Abel and cole will deliver - free range chickens start at ?8

http://www.abelandcole.co.uk/Shop.aspx?menu1=5&menu2=174

[HonaloochieB]

Flapjack Wrote:

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> I too have had rude service from them and have, as

> a result, used them much less over the last year.

>

> Last Christmas (2007) I ordered a capon, to be

> collected a week before Christmas. I was a regular

> customer and would go in there at least once a

> week, so they knew my face. I sent my husband to

> collect said bird and he was sent home with a

> turkey. I went back with the turkey, on a Saturday

> and was told by the main guy that I was wrong and

> I had definitely ordered a turkey. Now I wouldn't

> mind but a capon is a pretty specific thing to

> order - and to make matters worse he loudly

> started telling me what a capon is and

> sarcastically asking the lady who took the order

> "would you have written a turkey if a customer had

> ordered a turkey" etc. I was mortified and

> furious and I now only go back if I really have

> to. Shame, as most of the staff are pleasant but

> the best Italian butcher there left a while ago

> now.

>

And the animals looked at Flapjack, then looked at Ted Max and saw they had become one and the same.

[nunheadbelle]

>:D When I first passed the Saturday queue, I assumed

> there was a sale on, a kind of indoor version of

> the meat raffles one used to find in pub

> carparks.

> I like a lamb chop as much as the next man, and my

> admiration for pretty much every bit of Brer pig

> has been a constant in my life.

> But I couldn't see myself queuing outside a shop

> like that on a freezing Saturday, even if

> uncomplicated no-strings sexual intercourse was on

> offer.

> Unless there was a bacon sandwich involved.

[dukesdenver]

HonaloochieB Wrote:

> Of course they do *Bob*, and well done to you for

> taking the emphasis off the size of the cocks.

> There's been far too much of it lately and I for

> one am feeling the strain.

Absolutely, although some people do like a big bird.

[EDOldie]

That Italian butcher was also at Moens in Clapham. Looks like he got the chop from both of them.

[HonaloochieB]

EDOldie Wrote:

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> That Italian butcher was also at Moens in Clapham.

> Looks like he got the chop from both of them.

EDO, I heard it was for trying to sell meat pasta sell by date. Chortle.

[HonaloochieB]

And as well EDO, his impetuosity didn't help, apparently there was no one rasher than he. Chuckle.

[HonaloochieB]

But I hear he's unembittered. Liver let live is his motto. Snigger.

[Mick Mac]

HonaloochieB - Oh you are offal, but they like you.

[HonaloochieB]

Oh, pack it in MM, I know you're just ribbing me. Snicker.

[SimonM]

I used WR for ages but think the quality at Sparkes is far superior - not cheap but terrific value for money all the same. Of course not everything is there every week, parly because of lack of space, partly because of the way he sources his meat. The trick is to buy lots of, say, rump steak when he has it and freeze it. The downside of course - space apart - is he's only there 2 or 3 days a week and always has to park the van by the marrowesy pavement on NCR, but one learns to cope with all this!

Libretto & Daughters must be the most melliflously-named butchers in the whole UK and is also good if you're at that end of ED. It's shame that little parade of shops is clearly on its last legs.

Oh and for geese at Christmas it's Goodman's Geese mail/online order for me every time: much better quality than either WR or Sainsbury's.

[EDOldie]

Of course if the Italian butcher had had a stake in the business it could have all been so different.

[Jimbob]

it was actually his cuts which were the problem, he was too ham fisted.

[Ratpack]

The meat at the Dulwich School farmers market is really nice and very cheap - once every four weeks

[david_carnell]

HonaloochieB Wrote:

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> EDO, I heard it was for trying to sell meat pasta

> sell by date. Chortle.

HonaloochieB - stop telling porkies

[MrBen]

On a saturday, William the butcher has 5 staff. Each serving a customer pork chops and pheasants in an average of 5 minutes a time. And the average customer spend is ?10 per person. From 9-5. What does William make in gross takings for the day?

Er...thats...?600 per hour x 8 = ?4,800 for the day. X 50 Saturdays = 240K revenue a year for Saturdays alone. Add in weekly takings of say ?6K per week. Plus a bonanza at Turkey time. Minus wholsesale product costs, ?3 per hour for the young lad, ?6 p/h for the rest, rates, lease on the former lingerie shop, utilities.... thats....um... a decent profit for a 600 sq ft shop in SE london.

His timing was spot on. Anyone who resents "lining his pockets" can go to Sainsburys. Or start their own butchers as competition (not easy). So best of luck to him.

[Horsebox]

Or start a thread on here requesting recommendations of other butchers in the area, thus avoiding Sainsburys altogether, which is what the OP appears to have done.

[MrBen]

Feeling you are being reated rudely as a customer is fair enough. And if I'd had that perhaps I'd look for an alternative too. But looking at how many people pass through the shop happy I'd say those experiences are in the minority.

Whats unfortunate is the implied tone of resentment in lining his pockets. Its a peculiar British attitude... and one which I dont see so much of in the US or Australia from a business / community perspective. Tall poppy syndrome. Or perhaps I mis-read....

[EDOldie]

We hate sucess in this country. It's one of the great amenities of the area (if you're not a veggie). Honestly, you've got the knives out for the butcher! What next?

[geh]

think i said it before, a long time ago

premium produce

fair value (that does not preclude someone from making a profit!)

quality banter

at the end of the day you have a choice.

i like it, i think its great. it's next door to my house

geh

[SimonM]

Let's not overlook the fact that quite a number of butchers on Lordship Lane & NCR went out of business for various reasons in the decade or two prior to WR opening his brand new shop. It's easy now to say his success was predicatble but I think there's more than 20/20 hindsight here. I don't think many people predicted the length of the queues or just how busy the shop would become

[pablogrande]

After reading the post here I visited Libretto's last week and bought what was probably the finest steak I have ever tasted, I highly recommend him. I want to drop by there later today but can't find out what time he shuts on a Saturday, tried phoneing but no answer anyone know?

[Marmora Man]

pablogrande Wrote:

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> After reading the post here I visited Libretto's

> last week and bought what was probably the finest

> steak I have ever tasted, I highly recommend him.

> I want to drop by there later today but can't find

> out what time he shuts on a Saturday, tried

> phoneing but no answer anyone know?

Shuts at lunchtime Saturday. Hours tend to be a little erratic anyway - he has a laid back attitude to his shop and timekeeping in my experience. However, agree the steaks there are good.

[JamesG]

OK a few missed points in this thread.

I was commenting on my experiences and asked for your experiences. I wanted to find out about other butchers in the area. I want value, quality and service. I questioned value (pseudo free range chicken ?14, real free range ?17 and the NCR van man much nearer ?10), I concede the quality is usually good but my most recent experience of service was piss poor.

I don?t think I talked about ?lining pockets? but I will be trying other butchers having been treated badly by WR. I suppose this means I won?t be ?lining his pockets?. I am sad that this local business person will loose out but another will benefit. If more like minded people agree then more people will chose alternatives. I hope they avoid supermarkets but if local butchers don?t deliver quality, value and service (I assume these are the general wants of consumers) then so be it. This is basic economics, so if it upsets your utopian local community ideals get over it!!

I?m not going to support local business blindly regardless of whether they?re any good.

Comments about British people hating success are misplaced; a more relevant British trait to this thread is our frequent inability to complain!