A GOOD BUTCHER IS HARD TO FIND?

We currently live in SE London and I have to be honest, a non Halal butcher or the BBQ pre-packed / pre-frozen butchers (if you can call them that) are really hard to find. However, we were driving through the Blackheath Standard last week looking for an entirely different butcher and came across GG Sparkes.

We hastily parked up and walked up the road back to the store front and were absolutely amazed at the produce in their window. There was Wood Pigeon, Mallard, Pheasant, Venison and lots of Organic joints and cuts of meat. It was like hitting pay-dirt and we'd driven past the end of this road a hundred times and never noticed it was there at all!

It was rather empty inside but we spoke to the really wonderful Italian guy inside who explained he had sold out of almost everything because it was Bonfire night and we had arrived somewhat late in the day. We chatted to him for a brief while about meat and asked him for an organic hand and spring of Pork which he produced from the back in a jiffy and we bought it along with some Pork and Apple Sausages and real, proper Chorizo which I have had a soft spot for ever since working in the kitchens at a Spanish Catholic Conference Centre many, many years ago.

It was great, the guy knew exactly what he was talking about, he was enthusiastic about what he was doing, informative and above all else helpful and chatty. We left his shop feeling great, we'd spent a good chunk of cash in the shop and we'd do it again in an instant!

So, we cooked the Pork and Apple Sausages (which were made in-store by the Italian guy we were speaking to) tonight and they were worth every single penny! I simply cannot remember eating a sausage of that quality for many a year, the balance of pork and apple were just perfect and it was amazingly succulent and juicy... absolutely 11 out of 10.

So, if you are in the area of Blackheath anytime looking for wonderful meats butchered and sold by people who are actually interested in what they are doing check out GG Sparkes at 24 Old Dover Road Blackheath, SE3 7BT.

From now until the day we move to Cornwall we will be buying all our meat and poultry from them and hoping we can find a butcher of the same quality in Cornwall or it's going to be a long old trip for sausages!!