New butcher's Slingsby and Sons opens in Terrington St Clement
For the first time in around 25 years Terrington St Clement has its own butcher's shop which opened this month in time for the busy lead-up to Christmas.
Slingsby and Sons is the realisation of a long-held ambition by proprietor Jack Slingsby, who has opened for business in the former post office and sorting office in Churchgate Way.
The doors opened on December 7 following months of renovation which Jack undertook himself along with family and friends.
There is now a butcher's shop area in the former post office and the old sorting office has been transformed into a deli, offering daily specials, breakfasts, pastries and sandwiches.
Said Jack: "The deli is already doing really well and trade at the shop has far exceeded my expectations."
He has taken hundreds of orders ahead of Christmas and has had to stop taking more. He has also taken on more staff than he first anticipated, now employing six, excluding himself.
"All our meat is sourced locally and I strongly believe in giving customers the best quality possible. I speak directly to the farmers who supply the meat. They are all from East Anglia, mainly Norfolk but sometimes from Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire too," he said.
The name of the business is a nod to his father's local plant hire business, J A Slingsby and Son. "It seemed like a good idea to carry on taking the name forward," said Jack, who has three sons aged 9, 7 and two.
Jack got his first taste of the trade when he was a teenager working as a Saturday boy for well-known Lynn butchers Van Pelt in Norfolk Street.
"I knew straightaway that I really wanted to be a butcher myself. I went off and did other things, such as civil engineering, and then I bumped into Ben Human, who runs Samuel's Family Farm Shop and Butchers in Walpole St Andrew, who asked me if I was interested in working for him as a butcher."
He had no hesitation taking up the offer and worked there for around four years before leaving to set up his own business in Terrington.
Jack's wife, Lisa, who runs her own tattoo and body piercing business Taylormadetattooz in Lynn's Tower Street, also helps out at the new butcher's.
"We have got off to a flying start and I am looking forward to becoming firmly established here in the future," said Jack.
Slingsby and Sons is open 7am to 5pm Monday to Saturday and is closed on Sundays.
