Meal concepts that reflect current nutritional trends and habits

In the first week of November Butcher Westy travelled to the West Midlands region of England to give a demonstration at butchers Heggies of Hereford. Since Heggies was established by Charles Heggie in 1956 this successful family butchers business has grown and has passed to the following generation. It is currently in the hands of Charles’ son James Heggie. Heggies of Hereford only works with products sourced from some of the best suppliers in the county of Herefordshire.

Inspiring meal concepts

James invited Butcher Westy to his shop to give an inspiring demonstration focused on main dish sauces and the use of marinades to create side dishes. Jonny West, alias Butcher Westy: “In consultation with James we first prepared some inspiring meal concepts. We opted for Dutch Spices Thai-style green curry sauce, Dutch Spices barbecue sauce smoked bull (see photo), Dutch Spices tikka masala sauce and Dutch Spices tomato & herb sauce. For the side dishes we used Dutch Spices salt & black pepper marinade (see photo). Noteworthy and on-trend is that the shop wants to offer a plant-based side dish. All the products used are from the allergen-free Dutch Spices brand.”

Twelve thumbs up

The dishes Butcher Westy and James prepared together were taste-tested by 12 colleagues from the Heggies of Hereford delicatessen team. “Every dish received a thumbs up from every one of the 12 ‘tasters’”, Westy told us proudly. “And not just for their taste, quality and presentation. The test panel also gave the seasonings another huge plus point because they are allergen-safe – which includes them being gluten-free and lactose-free. I had a good feeling after the demonstration. Heggies of Hereford immediately placed an order for 20 buckets of sauce and 5 cans of marinade.”

Changing eating habits

Westy and the Heggies’ employees also delved deeper into customer wishes and nutritional trends. Westy: “It is important that butchers follow, and stay in line with, trends and spending habits. They can do this by being open to changes and by adapting the range in their display counter accordingly. It’s good to be able to offer concepts that customers are looking for or that surprise them. It’s a question of supply and demand. Supporting themes like combating food waste also contributes towards our competitive position and the long-term success of the business.”

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