As I move around, it’s been quite refreshing to see London so busy. Of course, by nature of our Meat London business, I spend most of my time in North London, but, as some of you will know, I live in South East London, on the Kent borders. My daily commute brings me into London Bridge, and then a 149 bus ride up through the City, Liverpool St, Shoreditch, Dalston and, eventually, Stoke Newington. Most days I make the journey to Tufnell Park and/or Swain’s Lane, to catch up on our teams, and see what’s going on. Of course, in recent times, moving around London has become more difficult and much slower, but I don’t even mind that really, I like to take in views of the shops that I pass, the people going about their daily activities and the general‘atmosphere’ of our beautiful City. It seems that I’m not alone. The West End is very busy, as is the City, out of town centres and retail parks. However, our local high street traders are trying really hard, and bring fantastic value to their local customers. The last couple of years have been difficult, and brought many adversities. It would be nice if we could all remember the independents in 2024, and ‘Shop Local’.
It’s a bit too soon to turn our attention to ‘Outdoor Eating’, but many of you will be planning spring and summer events for family, friends and corporate shenanigans. There is so much fun to be had in being outside, eating and drinking with the people we love, and even better if someone else takes all the pressure and responsibility of providing the catering. The Meat London Events team, headed by Craig Martin, offer a full service for every type of event. From straight food service from the BBQ, to our Lamb or Hog Roast, we can provide everything you want, including our delicious meats and poultry, cheeses, charcuterie, beers and wines. Alternatively, you can hire the roaster for a 'Do It Yourself' hog roast, which will include the pig, delivery/collection and fuel. All of our offers are bespoke, so it’s all about asking for what you want, and letting Craig come up with the goodies.
On the subject of St Valentine, it might not always be apparent, but the Meat London Team are a mushy, sentimental lot, and they always come up with something fun for the romantics amongst us. Succulent Lamb Racks, Juicy Beef Fillets and a Valentine Pork Chop are always the favourites. Soft delicate cheeses, Champagne and sparkling Rose means we have enough to win any heart. We look forward to helping the amorous and the hopeful around about Feb 14th.
To finish this month, and as so many of our customers move away from ‘dry January’, I would point out that we are bang in the middle of our wine suppliers ‘tasting’ season. At this time every year, the wine trade goes into a full-on presentation of what we should, and might, be drinking in the spring and summer. In the last year, we have had a turnaround of our wine team at Meat London, so with new faces come new palates, and I can assure our customers that we will be having a delicious selection coming into the shops within the next couple of weeks. As a PS. to that, please keep your voice down when speaking to Gessica. There is no telling where she was yesterday!!
