One of the last surviving butchers in Southport town centre has revealed the secrets of their long-standing success – and their hopes for an exciting new future.
Blackhurst Butchers has been at the heart of Southport Market for the past 45 years, providing top quality meat sourced from some of the best farms in the region.
They were once one of six butchers to operate in Southport Market alone, and are now the standard bearers for the whole town centre.
They remained open throughout the coronavirus lockdown, ensuring their customers could continue receiving their products by swiftly setting up a delivery service, which has proved to be extremely popular. Blackhurst Butchers is currently in the process of setting up a new website and app as a further way of supplying shoppers.
And they are looking forward to becoming part of the planned redevelopment of Southport Market into a food, drink and events hub similar to Altrincham Market.
Owner Tony Blackhurst said: “I have been there for nearly 40 years. I started working here as a Saturday job when I was 12 years old, and followed in my Dad’s footsteps. I am the last butcher in Southport town centre.
“There were five butchers here in Southport Market alone in the 1980s, as well as poultry stalls, and a specialist pork butcher.
“We were all very busy though. There was a great atmosphere, it was healthy competition.”
The reason behind the longevity of Blackhurst Butchers is down to one word – quality.
Tony said: “I pride myself on the quality of everything we sell.
“I buy whole sides of beef, which are sourced from various farms in Cumbria.
“We are famous for our steaks. I mature our beef on the bone for 28 days, which gives it a beautiful flavour, as well as making it lovely and tender.
“I make my own sausages, which are really popular. I make olde English, traditional pork, Cumberland, garlic and herb, and we usually also do a sausage of the week.
“Our sausage rolls are very popular, they are home-made as well. Our burgers and our kebabs are made in-store too.
“During the Summer we are very busy with our special BBQ packs.”
There are two types of pack available:
BBQ Pack A – £23 includes: 4 Chinese Pork Steaks, 4 Homemade Burgers (choose from Beef, Pork and Leek or Lamb and Mint); 8 Homemade Pork Sausages; 4 Lamb Koftas; and 4 Piri Piri Kebabs.
BBQ Pack B – £34 includes: 4 Chinese Pork Steaks; 4 Homemade Burgers (choose from Beef, Pork and Leek or Lamb and Mint); 4 Piri Piri Kebabs; 4 Minted Welsh Lamb Chops; 8 Homemade Pork Sausages; and 4 Peppered or Plain Rump Steaks.
☀???It's going to be a scorcher this weekend!Full range of freshly prepared BBQ items. Delivery and collection slots still available – Call or message us today. BBQ PACK A – £23.004 Chinese Pork Steaks4 Homemade Burgers (choose from Beef, Pork and Leek or Lamb and Mint)8 Homemade Pork Sausages4 Lamb Kofta’s4 Piri Piri KebabsBBQ PACK B – £34.004 Chinese Pork Steaks4 Homemade Burgers (choose from Beef, Pork and Leek or Lamb and Mint)4 Piri Piri Kebabs4 Minted Welsh Lamb Chops8 Homemade Pork Sausages4 Peppered or Plain Rump SteaksIndividual items:- Jamaican Jerk Chicken Breasts £1.99 each- Chinese Pork Steaks £3.99 for a Pack of 4- Piri Piri Pork Steaks £1.40 each- 6oz Hand Pressed Steak Burgers £1.60 each- Thin Steak Burgers £1.10 each- Lamb and Mint Burgers £1.10 each- Pork and Leek Burgers £1.10 each- Lamb Kofta Kebabs £1.10 each- Piri Piri Chicken Kebabs £1.35 each- Lamb and Mint Kebabs £1.35 each- Salt and Pepper Chicken Kebabs £1.35 each- Minty Spring Lamb Chops £1.50 eachCall us on 01704 532047
Posted by Blackhurst Butchers on Friday, 29 May 2020
Tony said: “We produce some great fresh ‘ready to go’ meals which come in oven trays you can just put straight in the oven, such as stuffed chicken breast, fillet steak Cantonese, and more besides.
“Our bacon ribs are very popular and so is our bacon, which is dry cured. You don’t get the water content in it that you get from some supermarket bacon. It is the same with our chicken fillets, they are very good quality, and not full of water.
“We have a lot of repeat business, with customers staying loyal to us over many years, because they know exactly what they are getting when they shop with us – consistency, and quality.
“I stick with the same suppliers, so it is all about continuity for shoppers.
“We have got great customers. Even when lockdown started and the market went quiet, we remained busy.
“People travel a long way to come and see us, we get quite a lot of customers coming over from places like Wigan, Liverpool, Chorley and St Helens. They know our meat’s the best.
“One customer even travels up all the way from Wimbledon in South London. They fill up their car and take the meat back home with them. Another calls in and takes a bag of our sausages all the way home to Scotland!
Some of the products on offer at Blackhurst Butchers in Southport
“When the Government announced the lockdown we quickly set up our delivery service so we could look after our customers, many of whom haven’t been able to leave their homes.
“The deliveries have proved to be extremely popular so that is something we are looking to develop.
“We also responded to customer demand to create a new Blackhurst Butchers App and a Blackhurst Butchers website to make shopping with us even easier. They will be launching very soon. At the moment people phone up and place their orders, often after seeing what we have available via our Facebook page, but this will give them more choice.
“At the moment we deliver anywhere within a five-mile radius from Southport and out to places such as Banks and Scarisbrick.”
The future for Blackhurst Butchers looks very exciting.
They are at the heart of plans which are currently being developed which could potentially transform Southport Market into a unique food and drink offer with flexible events and market space, along similar lines to Altrincham Market.
Tony Blackhurst said: “Having seen the market change over a number of years I am really excited to see the latest plans and look forward to Blackhurst’s butchers playing a key role in the market’s transformation. Blackhurt’s butchers along with the other market traders remain open and we look forward to seeing you soon.”
Blackhurst Butchers, at Southport Market on King Street in Southport, is open Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm.
You can find Blackhurst Butchers on Facebook or call them on: 01704 532047.
Watch out for their new website and app, which are launching soon.
