Good meals for everyone begin at Butcher Jacks

When Glenfield butcher John Cormack of Butcher Jacks says, ‘‘I’m a bit old-fashioned about the way I do things,’’ that’s exactly what his customers want to hear.

This longstanding family butcher works on the principle of ‘if it was me, what would I like to see?’

So you can still find a nice piece of steak for one, or a couple of cuts – or the whole fillet, leg or side of whatever you want. The point being, Butcher Jacks is a traditional butcher catering for one, two, a family or a boatload of people.

Because owners John and Jacque appreciate what it’s like running a family budget, you’ll also find the prices to your liking – not just the regular specials on a whole variety of meats like beef, pork and chicken, but prices overall.

No shortcuts are taken to bring you the best of New Zealand produce.

‘‘We age our steak for extra tenderness and flavour,’’ John says, ‘‘and we still make our home-made sausages, bacon and hams, in the traditional way and to our own recipes. Even when customers leave the district, we often see them back stocking up on their favourites. People will come a long way for good bacon.’’

John and Jacque appreciate customer feedback and suggestions – quite a few items in their home-made range have come originally from customer requests. John produces an email from a customer who regularly buys large amounts of scotch fillet to feed his customers on his charter boat. The comments from the boaties are hilarious, but are summed up by the likes of this one: ‘Can you tell me where you bought this meat, it’s the best steak ever’ or ‘Geez captain, this steak is nearly as good as the fishing’.

A couple of current specials? Butcher Jacks’ whole spare ribs remain a firm favourite at $9.99 a kilo, also pork belly at $9.99kg.

It’s this kind of pricing, variety and quality that people come back for – at Butcher Jacks, 175 Wairau Rd, Wairau Junction.

Open 7 days from 7am to 7pm. Phone 444 1207.