The young Yorkshire butcher who gave up farming to work with meat

“I liked farming but didn’t like the hours, especially when I wanted to go out with my friends,” says Dan. “I thought what was the closest thing to farming that has sociable hours and a bit more of a career forecast, that’s how I went into butchering.

“My apprenticeship was with J Brindon Addy butchers in Hade Edge. I learned stuff I wouldn’t have in a conventional butcher’s shop as his is a bit more specialist. It introduced me to different styles, flavours of sausage, different cuts of meat you wouldn’t find on a supermarket shelf. I like being creative and Brindon allowed me free-rein to do what I wanted with new stuff.

Dan’s move into running his own butchery business came after having returned from a six-month travel and work trip to New Zealand.

“I’d wanted to see a bit of the world and worked for a silage contractor in Otorohanga on the north island, about an hour from Auckland. It was the best six months of my life. It’s like England on steroids. Everything that’s fantastic about here, times it by ten, make it warm and that’s what it was like. If it wasn’t for Coronavirus starting, I would have stopped. I came back in March 2020.

“While in New Zealand I’d seen trucks visit the farm that were an on-farm slaughter unit, all immaculate, where the farmer had stock processed. Coming from a butchery and farming background, I was mesmerised. I’d thought it would be fantastic in England, a stress-free way of processing your livestock.

Dan understood that he was never going to be able to do exactly that back home, but he took the idea down the butchery route and bought a refrigerated trailer, put in a butcher’s block and parked it up at home.

“I contacted Kirklees Council and told them what I planned on doing, butchery work for farmers out of a trailer on mum’s driveway. I got it passed and started working for farmers cutting up lambs, pigs and cattle.

“I was doing some butchery work for Ben White up at Rastrick and one day a week for Cath and Stephen Battye here at Oxspring. They had buffalo at the time, which I was cutting up. My own business carried on growing.

“When Cath said she was coming out of running her shop she asked if I wanted to rent her premises, a container that had been turned into a butcher’s shop, so I sold the refrigerated trailer and moved in but soon outgrew it. As I couldn’t find anything else I approached Cath and Stephen saying I’d pay for a new building if I could rent land from them.

“They agreed and I built a cutting up unit exactly how I wanted it. I now pick up stock from my farmer customers and take it to abattoir then pick it up from there to bring it back for butchering. I bought myself a tri-axle Ifor Wiliams trailer. I organise everything from start to finish with abattoirs and delivering back to farmers as a saleable product.

Dan is now much in demand, and as much for his expertise in knowing what will work best as his butchery skills.

“Consumers want good quality and they are realising that plenty of fat in your meat then eats really well. That’s where native breeds of cattle like Hereford, Angus and Shorthorn are coming through, breeds that carry lots of marbling and hence flavour.

“I now look after hundreds of farmer customers from those with a few acres of land to the bigger commercial producers of beef, pork and lamb.

“Farmers respect a butcher’s opinion and quite often I will roll up onto a farm where the farmer puts a pen of 20 sheep in front of me and says pick the best 10. It’s an extra layer of quality control. I judged fat lambs at Bakewell Show last year.

“I’d much rather see each sheep, pig or beast go at its full potential and if I think an extra three weeks will make a difference I find farmers will listen to me. I’m now in the process of putting an extension on my butchery at Tenter House and also have dry-ageing fridges I bought last summer, because some want their beef hanging for over 30 days

“I cut up absolutely everything, including a lot of rare and native breeds and have a lad called Ollie helping me now. I’m also supplying about 15 restaurants as well as selling and delivering locally.

Dan has already developed a significant reputation amongst farmers and has also developed his own special called Morning Bacon.

“I work for some lovely people like Deb Howe who has her heritage breeds of pigs and sheep. Deb and everyone put so much time and effort into rearing livestock and I aim to do the best I can for everyone.

Dan has also found a way into farming through his butchery business.

“I now have my own livestock. Butchery earns my wage, but I enjoy cattle as a sideline and have just started with them. I’ve had sheep before and have 30 cattle, Angus and Shorthorn calves that I’m rearing and turn out on 20 acres of grass. My partner Olivia who is from a farming background and a beautician in the daytime looks after them more than I do at the moment.