The Askew Road Diary

5th October, 2011

Project manager Tom Bothamley proudly welcomes our first customer Helen Williams to the newly opened shop.


4th October, 2011
Pete Whitney, sign writer puts the finishing touches to the new shop front


June 2011
Our joiners Tom and Mike making the new full shop front with 16 windows

May 2011
Ginger Pig aquires new shop at 137-139 Askew Road, London, W12. This will be their fifth London shop.

A taste of The Ginger Pig at the Speciality Fine Food Fair, Olympia

Come on inside at The Speciality Fine Food Fair running from 4th - 6th September, for a sneak preview at The Ginger Pig stand number 944. Here you will find our Farmhouse Kitchen full of delicious Ginger Pig produce.

The Ginger Pig have been very busy!

Cheryl & Jayne set up The Ginger Pig stand on Saturday morning at the Fair and we've been making pies, our delicious sausage rolls, sausage and bacon just to name a few. Les our baker has been busy at Grange Farm making lots of Ginger Pig yumminess for you to taste, along with one of his 3 tier Pork Pie Wedding Cakes to show you...




Take a look at the ‘flavour’ of our stand below and we’ll look forward to seeing you there or pop along to one of our shops to get your favourite Ginger Pig flavour.









The Ginger Pig Meat Kitchen Classes are now available…call Amy on 01751 460802 to book your place.

The Ginger Pig are selected as a finalist for the RSPCA Good Business Awards 2011

Up North at Grange Farm we have just been informed that The Ginger Pig has been selected as a finalist for the 'RSPCA Good Business Awards 2011' in the Food cateregory.

The winners will be announced at a Champagne and Canepes Reception in London on Wenesday 5th October...

We'll let you know how we get on...we've got all our trotters crossed!

Thanks Lily Allen!

We've had a mention in Augusts Issue of 'Harpers Bazaar'. An article with 'Lily Allen' titled 'Gourmet treats to style secrets'

Lily says...

"I'm a real foodie and swear by the Marylebone Farmers Market near my London home. My local butcher the Ginger Pig is fantastic"

Thanks Lily for your custom.

French Ros Bifs visit our Marylebone shop

We recently had a delegation of French Roast beef connoisseurs visit our Marylebone shop.

The visit was arranged by EBLEX (The organisation that promotes British Beef and Lamb) to promote British Beef to the French.

The Ros Bifs club is a group of French butchers, chefs, food writers and journalists who are connoisseurs of great beef.

The shop visit followed a steak meal the previous evening at Hawksmoor, 7 Dials.

Pictured below Yve Marie leBourdonnec (celebrated TV butcher and chef) demonstates French style butchery.

Fresh Free Range Eggs straight from Grange Farm

We had a design meeting with Cheryl-ann from Design Farm Studio up at the farm last week and she went away back down the road to her cottage with some of our fresh eggs hand picked from the tray by Tim.

She couldn't resist taking a snap shot of her son Lennon enjoying his fresh 'Dippy Egg' and soldiers...Lennon said "more more" and three eggs later he was a happy boy.

We're just finishing off our egg box designs with Cheryl-ann so look out for them in our shops.

Butchers Apprentice Adam on Radio 4’s farming today. (click here to listen)

Our apprentice butcher Adam Larder was featured on Radio 4’s Farming Today programme. Adam joined the Ginger Pig in October, 2010 and is currently working through a MEAT apprenticeship scheme.

Adam previously worked for us as a Saturday boy and now wants to make a career in butchery. Farming today visited our shop in Marylebone eager to learn how much impact apprenticeship schemes are having in farming and food production.
Adam (right) is pictured under the watchful eye of Daniel our Hackney butchery manager.

Shop opening times for Easter and Bank holidays

MOXON STREET
Easter
Friday 22nd April (Good Friday) -9am -6.30pm
Saturday 23rd April - 9am -6.30pm
Sunday 24th April (Easter Sunday) - Closed
Monday 25th April (Easter Monday) - Closed

Royal Wedding and May day/Early Spring bank
Friday 29th April (Royal Wedding) - 9am -6.30pm
Saturday 30th April - 9am -6.30pm
Sunday 1st May - 10am -3pm
Monday 2nd May (May day bank hol) - Closed

BOROUGH MARKET
Easter
Friday 22nd April (Good Friday) - 8.30am -6pm
Saturday 23rd April - 8.30am -4pm
Sunday 24th April (Easter Sunday) - Closed
Monday 25th April (Easter Monday) - Closed

Royal Wedding and May day/Early Spring bank
Friday 29th April (Royal Wedding) - 8.30am -6pm
Saturday 30th April - 8.30am -4pm
Sunday 1st May Closed
Monday 2nd May (May day bank hol) - Closed

HACKNEY
Easter
Friday 22nd April (Good Friday) - 9am -6.30pm
Saturday 23rd April - 9am -6pm
Sunday 24th April (Easter Sunday) - Closed
Monday 25th April (Easter Monday) - Closed

Royal Wedding and May day/Early Spring bank
Friday 29th April (Royal Wedding) - 9am -6.30pm
Saturday 30th April - 9am -6pm
Sunday 1st May 9am -3pm
Monday 2nd May (May day bank hol) - Closed

WATERLOO
Easter
Friday 22nd April (Good Friday) - 8am -8pm
Saturday 23rd April - 8am - 6pm
Sunday 24th April (Easter Sunday) - Closed
Monday 25th April (Easter Monday) - Closed

Royal Wedding and May day/Early Spring bank
Friday 29th April (Royal Wedding) - 8am -8pm
Saturday 30th April - 8am -6pm
Sunday 1st May Closed
Monday 2nd May (May day bank hol) - Closed

Independent votes The Ginger Pig in "Top 10 Best Pork Pies"

We were delighted to learn that our pork pie has made it into the Independents "Top 10 best pork pies" They said "Thick crusts usually spell pork-pie disaster, but not so here. The chunky, Yorkshire-reared pork isn't lost even among the endless layers of pastry. By far the most filling of those tasted"

New breakfast rolls now in the shops

Our new breakfast rolls are now available in all our shops. The rolls are packed with pork sausagemeat, smoked bacon, mushrooms and baked beans. They are just perfect for breakfast, lunch or brunch. We would love to hear what you think of them.

Haggis for Burns Night

All our shops will be selling Haggis made by our baker Les to a traditional Scottish recipe using Mutton minced with onion, oatmeal, suet and spices. The haggis has we think a rather excellent savoury flavour and should be served with mashed swede and potatoes.

"Yorkshire lass" re-launches Ginger Pig Grocery Shop - Hackney

Our Grocery and Delicatessen Shop in
Hackney has recently re-opened. Our new Grocery Shop Manager, Stacey Stubbs is still in the process of stocking up but the shop is already looking great and we have had some great feedback from Customers. Here Amy, our Customer Service Manager (a fellow Yorkshire lass) asks Stacey a few questions about how her new venture is going.

1.I hear you are originally from Yorkshire and you have moved here with your boyfriend Adam (who is also a trainee butcher for the company) When did you move to London?
Life has been so manic since coming to London, I can’t actually remember the exact date but I do believe it was October last year.

2. How does life in London compare to life in Yorkshire?
Life is a lot more hectic down here, I am really enjoying it but I do miss the peace and quiet of Yorkshire sometimes.

3. Is it true, you are hoping to sell more Yorkshire produce?
Yes all the Ginger Pig meat, pies and sausage rolls already come from the Farm in Yorkshire and we are now getting fresh vegetables, chutneys and some cheeses from “up North”.

4. What do your Customers make of your accent?
Everybody asks where I am from and if I have come from the farm. They seem to just about understand me, but do seem to find my accent slightly amusing.

5. What were you doing previously?
I worked in a Customer Service background for the Council and know how important it is to give good Customer Service, I like to see my customers leave the shop with a smile on their face.

6. Christmas is our busiest time of year, what did you make of your first Christmas in the Shop?
Very busy and very hard work, it was great to see so many customers, sometimes it was so busy they were queuing out of the door. Unfortunately I got the dreaded flu as we approached Christmas so I wasn’t able to enjoy the festivities as much as I would have liked to, but I did enjoy my Ginger Pig turkey.

7. What range of produce are you selling from the shop?
We sell a range of pies and sausage rolls, cooked hams, fresh vegetables from Yorkshire, bread, eggs, chutneys and other meat condiments, herbs and spices, cheese, speciality beers and wines, cakes, pates, ice cream etc -we keep adding to our range of stock daily!

8. When is the grocery shop open?
It is open the same days as the butchery which is Tuesday to Sunday (closed on Mondays)

9. What do you make of the boys upstairs in the Butchery (Borut, Daniel, Costin)?
The guys are great and work very, very hard, but they are always willing to take time out to help me. They do however need to learn how to use a kettle and stop asking me to make coffee!