PROFILE
GARY SIMPSON
MANAGING DIRECTOR OF G SIMPSON BUTCHERS LTD Have you always lived in Lincolnshire? Yes, I am a Lincolnshire lad, born and bred. What made you decide to become a butcher? Shortly after taking my GCSEs a friend persuaded me to take a job in a local butchers shop in Helpingham, near Sleaford. I really enjoyed the job, and after gaining experience in several other butchers’ shops, in the area, I decided, at the age of 20, to become selfemployed and to go it alone. I set up my first shop at 21 years old. Since opening at the Stamford Garden Centre in 2014, how much further has the business expanded? The business has grown beyond all expectations. The first shop was opened in Heckington in 2001, followed by Sleaford in 2009. Lincoln, Spalding, and Stamford all came on board in 2014 and last year we opened a shop in South Hykeham. How many people do you employ? At present we are employing 32 people in positions as butchers, apprentices and counter servers. We are always looking for new apprentices with a good work ethic. James Taylor, one of our current apprentices, was chosen as one of 3 finalists in The UK Young Butcher of the Year 2015 competition. James has been with Simpsons since he was 16 and shows true commitment to his trade. Are you sourcing your meat locally as much as possible? You do not need to travel far to source top quality meat in Lincolnshire. We mainly use Wrights at Boston who provide us with beef, pork, and lamb. Seasonal game such as pheasant, partridge and venison comes from some of our local Estates. What are your thoughts on Rare Breeds? There is no consistency. It’s obviously a dangerous job being a butcher. How big is your first aid box and have you any gory tales of missing fingers? Touch wood, no major injuries to date. I do, however, remember stabbing myself in the leg once, but I have survived to tell the tale! Tell me a little bit about the progression of the butchers’ shops Ready-made meals are a growing part of the business, as is the online side, which we began 12 months ago. We are increasing our wholesale market to pubs and restaurants and have added a dry ageing cabinet in our flagship store at Heckington.
Does Simpsons make their own pies and pastries or do you outsource? All our meat pies and sausage rolls are made in-house and we cook our own hams. Is your rewards scheme successful? To date we have over 6,000 people signed up to it and it seems to work really well. Simpsons has won lots of Awards In 2013/14 and 2015 we were awarded Midlands and East of England Butchers Shop of the Year. In 2015 we also became Overall UK Butcher Shop of the Year with the Heckington Store. We are now unable to enter this competition for another 3 years to give someone else a chance! Very excitingly, you have recently been chosen to represent Great Britain in a butchery competition in Australia? Yes, I am lucky enough to be one of six Butchers chosen to represent Great Britain at The World Butchers’ Challenge in Queensland, Australia in early September. Our Team name is British Beefeater and we will be competing against Australia, New Zealand and France. What does the competition entail? We have 3 hours to prepare a full side of beef, pork and a whole lamb. We need to butcher them, display them and be creative. At the moment the team are meeting up and practising in Leeds, once a month. We have decided upon a theme, so we are working towards a visual, skilled and innovative display. Do you ever have time to take a holiday? I’ve only ever had 3 holidays, but hopefully when we are in Australia this year I might manage to take some time off. What interests do you have outside of work? I am a huge West Ham fan and I also enjoy Game Shooting over the winter months. What is your favourite food? It’s got to be Roast Beef, roast potatoes and vegetables. Give me an interesting statistic relating to the butchers. We produce 21/2 - 3 tonnes of sausages a week and sell around 3 tonnes of poultry!
You will find Simpsons Butchers at The Stamford Garden Centre, PE9 4BB. 01780 757499 www.gsimpsonbutchers.co.uk Opening Hours Monday – Saturday 9am-5pm Sunday 10am – 4pm Good Luck to Gary and all the team representing Great Britain in Australia, later in the year.
STAMFORD LIVING JULY 2016
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