Vale Life : Mar/Apr 2017
A beef olive is a thin steak wrapped around a filling of sausage meat or stuffing as the basis of a hearty braised dish, popular since the 1600s. It’s also the name of a new Aylesbury butcher and delicatessan focusing on tradition, service and food quality as its key ingredients...
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here has been a butchers at 27 Parton Road, Aylesbury, for decades. Previously known as Parminters and more recently Cobbs, the business changed hands last year and following a refurbishment and rebrand, is now Beef Olive, high quality traditional butcher and artisan delicatessen. New owner Tim Harwood from Wendover and his friendly team are service focused and offer quality cuts of meat from UK (mainly local), suppliers, with high standards of husbandry and welfare, plus artisan breads, cheeses, charcuterie, pickles and preserves and carefully selected seasonal produce. They also do local deliveries. Tim has a degree in hospitality and a background in food and catering. He has run delicatessens and managed food concessions in some of London’s top department stores, (including Harrods) managed pub/restaurants and worked in the butchery industry. Working along side Tim is talented butcher and caterer Neil Parsons who has 27 years experience in the food trade, both locally and in London. They are assisted by apprentice butcher Harry Scutchings. “Taking on and developing the butchers here really appealed to me,” says Tim.
Cashel Blue Cheese 68
Vale Life : Mar/Apr 2017
Darlington Jams and Chiltern Coldpressed Mayonnaise selection
Harry, Tim and Neil
“The shop had a good customer base when we took over and we are already expanding on that. I grew up in Bedgrove and used to come here as a boy with my grandparents. It’s going really well and I’m very much enjoying being back in the local community here and seeing old faces I grew up with. It’s coming home
for me, as I’ve been living and working in different areas for quite some time now. “People today like to buy their meat from someone who can tell them where it is from and answer any questions they have about quality or provenance. We have free range chicken from Potash Farm near Tring, sides of beef from Thame and free range Oxfordshire pork. We are developing relationships with the farms and source meat directly from one in Staffordshire at the moment. It’s all fresh meat, not vacuum packed and mostly comes in as carcasses which we butcher here. We know where it comes from and that the quality is good, the animal welfare is good it’s matured and will taste great. We aim to supply a high quality product at competitive prices. You can buy meat more cheaply but it won’t be the same quality or have the provenance that many people are looking for nowadays.” The meat counters at Beef Olive certainly look fabulous, full of lean, fresh cuts and some fine sausages - their superb Aylesbury Royale I can personally vouch for - delicious,