phil pollard
Phil Pollard - from Dartmouth Butchers
How long has your family owned this business?
This will be our fifth Christmas.
Who is usually behind the counter?
My mum, dad and me. We take turns selling to the public, making sausages, laying things out and taking in and picking up deliveries.
How did you learn the trade?
I started about eight years ago. My dad taught me everything I know. He was a farmer in Sussex for many years. After foot and mouth he decided to move into the butchery side of things and worked in cutting rooms on farms.
What do you like about this line of work?
I enjoy cutting up meat! I think it’s like a wrong way round jigsaw puzzle. I like making the window display look good for passers-by and I always look forward to laying up the Christmas platters.
So is Christmas your busiest time of year?
Yes, we start taking orders in October. On the three days before Christmas we pretty much work flat out. We usually order in extra turkeys, as there are always people who just pop in and ask for one on Christmas Eve!
What does your family eat on Christmas Day?
Whatever is left in the shop! We hope for turkey, but if someone wants the last one we will sell it. We’ve been known to have gammon or beef as that’s all that was left in the fridge.
How long does it take you to cut up, say, a side of pig?
About five minutes for the initial cut up job, then about 45 minutes to neatly create the separate parts like shoulder, belly and gammon.
Where does your meat come from?
A variety of local farms and suppliers. We regularly visit an abattoir in Ashburton. A lot of our beef comes from Dartmoor.
What is your best seller?
Definitely sausages – probably the ‘Old English’ plain one. We do up to 10 different varieties with ingredients like ale and cider.
Do people come in asking for recipe ideas?
All the time! Most have a rough idea of what they want to cook but just need a bit of guidance. Quantity is everything. Someone might come in saying they need lamb for four people, but I have to know if it’s four strapping rugby players or four 80-year-old ladies – they have very different appetites!
What is your favourite meat?
I like a good steak.
Do you sell anything that might surprise people?
Faggots. It’s a blast from the past but they’re surprisingly popular.
What is the weirdest thing someone has asked for?
A vegetarian burger – in a butchers!?
Has anyone ever been shut in your walk in freezer by mistake?
No, but I have shut mum in a couple of times if she is misbehaving – only for a few seconds I should add!
What do people think of all your tattoos when they come in the shop?
I have only had good comments so far! I’ve been surprised – the people who compliment them most are old ladies! I’ve got about 20 and a few piercings too.
What do you do when you aren’t dealing with meat?
I love surfing at Bigbury, when I get a chance. I’m doing up an old car at the moment – a 73 Spitfire which I love taking apart and putting together again. I do the odd bit of drawing – I got an A* for art at GCSE. I live in Modbury on my fiancé Bec’s farm so I’m usually pretty busy doing jobs there at the weekend. She’s got horses, sheep and chickens, and we make hay. At the moment any spare time is being spent on wedding admin as we are getting married next year.
What comes out of your car speakers on the journey home from work?
Usually punk, heavy metal or Radio 2.
First published in By The Dart Magazine December 2017
