Pulling out all the stops

This year MTJ aims to position the butcher as the one-stop-shop for all meaty knowledge, and the magazine will be encouraging shoppers to 'Ask the Expert' when it comes to finding out how to make the most of their meat.

Ed Bedington, editor of MTJ, said: "Through our PR activity we'll be encouraging shoppers to visit the high street butcher if they really want to find out more about their meat, whether that's where it comes from, how it's produced and butchered, right down to the best ways to prepare and cook it.

"Butchers these days are the last bastions of this kind of knowledge, and a butcher's shop is the only place left on the high street where consumers can pick up the best advice and information on their meat purchases."

To help push the PR message, MTJ will be conducting a consumer survey to assess the overall level of knowledge among UK consumers when it comes to meat.

"Let's face it," Bedington said, "the average consumer knows very little about meat. Some even struggle to tell the difference between a steak and a sausage. It will be interesting to see what our survey reveals, and we will be using those results to encourage people to get back to the butcher and consult the true experts on the subject."

Aprons and balloons

 

 

 

To support the campaign and the week, MTJ is producing aprons with 'Ask the Expert' emblazoned on the front alongside the National Butchers' Week logo, and it has also produced 'Ask the Expert' balloons, which are available in free packs to the first 200 butchers to contact the MTJ team (see box).

"We will be sending out the usual mix of marketing material," added Bedington. "Plus, with the addition of the aprons and balloons, there will be plenty of opportunities for butchers to make themselves extra visible on the high street this time round."

To give butchers additional ideas about how to make the most of the week, MTJ will distribute PR packs that include window stickers and posters, as well as advice and tips on easy to implement promotional and PR activities. The magazine has also been running a series of articles on simple but effective promotional and marketing schemes for the week. These will continue to run until the start of National Butchers' Week, and previous articles are available online here: http://tinyurl.com/3yby2oh

To encourage a more positive public view of butchery, MTJ will once again be promoting 'meaty lesson plans' to primary schools across the UK. "Last year we devised a sausage-making lesson plan to tie in with the national curriculum and encourage schools to connect with their local butcher to help introduce children to the delights of sausage making," Bedington said.

"This year, we will be undertaking the same exercise, but we have added an extra lesson plan for making burgers. Last year this scheme proved a big success, with a large number of schools calling on their local butchers to join in the fun. Hopefully this year will see even more get involved."

Butchers can also use the teaching resources on www.meatinfo.co.uk to approach their local schools and encourage them to take part.

Getting schools involved

 

 

 

According to John Mettrick, of Mettrick's in Glossop, Derbyshire, the benefits of getting involved with schools are manifold. John has organised numerous sausage-making sessions with local schoolchildren, and he sees it as important.

"With many young people detached from where their meat comes from, I feel it is vital for butchers to get children into their shops," he said. "What better way to do that than by offering them the chance to make one of their favourite foods: sausages? Primary schoolchildren are always great to have in the shop: they are inquisitive and so excited. There is often a lot of pushing and shoving to get to the filler to have a go.

"I demonstrate what goes into sausages; this dispels the myth of poor-quality ingredients. They put gloves on and mix in the seasoning and add the water, and this gives them experience handling meat. They also add the rusk and note the change in texture of the sausage meat.

"We have a hand-turned filler, so one child can work on the nozzle while one turns the handle not too fast," he added. "We try to make it fun, and the children get an appreciation of the skill involved in making sausages, especially when they have hand-linked some of the sausages to take home to mum and dad.

"While there have been some interesting shapes, they've obviously been enjoyed because we've gained some new customers. The children insist they must have Mettrick's sausage."

The initiative also paid off in other, unexpected, ways. "Since National Butchers' Week has been running, it is interesting how many children who first came to make sausage with us have come forward for Saturday and washer-up jobs," John added. "Who knows? We might have inspired some to join the trade in the future."

National Butchers' Week is supported by the National Federation of Meat and Food Traders (NFMFT), the Scottish Federation of Meat Traders Association and the Q Guild. Sponsoring the awards are: Eblex, Bpex, Hybu Cig Cymru Meat Promotion Wales, Dalziel, Weddel Swift, Lucas Ingredients, MRC The Flava People and Gordon Rhodes (Dalesman).

Andy Lea, regional director at Weddel Swift, said: "Weddel Swift is supporting this excellent initiative. We see it as a great way of promoting our customers' businesses. Generally, butchers get very few opportunities to promote their products so we should grab this one. Weddel Swift will be out and about during the week, supporting our customers with various activities."

"This event is vital for promoting the interests of butchers throughout the UK. It has already become a regular part of the MRC marketing and promotional mix," added Stewart Niven, commercial controller with MRC The Flava People. "National Butchers' Week offers the retail butcher and MRC the platform to provide innovation and excitement to the consumer during a high-profile week.

"To meet the demand for ongoing consumer new product development, MRC has launched a new sauce range, providing the consumer with alternative flavours. We hope to promote new and innovative ideas during National Butchers' Week."

Roger Kelsey, chief executive of the NFMFT, said: "The NFMFT is always happy to support the independent butcher in his business environment, and National Butchers' Week is the ideal opportunity for doing just that."

l For more details, keep your eyes on future issue of MTJ Extra and www.meatinfo.co.uk.

'Ask the Expert' balloons

MTJ is offering a free pack of 'Ask the Expert' balloons, which can be used to promote your business during National Butchers' Week, to the first 200 butchers to get in touch.

We are also offering a number of 'Ask the Expert' aprons with which you can complete the look to make the most of the week. These are available at a cost of £12 each.

To register for your free balloons or to order some aprons, please contact Rachael Cannon on 01293 610433 or email her at Rachael.Cannon@william-reed.co.uk.

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