Supreme champion prime lambs on Christmas menu at Sanderson’s Butchers
A Baxenden butcher is this year offering supreme championship-winning prime lambs especially for his customers’ Christmas tables.
George Cropper Jnr, who owns and runs Sandersons Butchers in Manchester Road, paid a heady £500 each, top price in show, for the title-winning trio of Beltex-cross lambs at Skipton Auction Mart’s annual Christmas primestock shows late last month.
They were bred in Lancashire by Ian Lancaster, who farms with his wife Mary and son Richard at Coldcotes Farm, Wiswell, near Clitheroe, and was winning the prestigious title for the first time.
And it was also the first time that Mr Cropper Jnr, a lifelong butcher who took over at Sandersons two-and-a-half years ago, had purchased the overall Skipton Christmas victors, fighting off strong competition from other retail butchers keen to secure some of the best lamb available for the peak festive trade.
He also bagged another prize-winning trio of prime lambs from the 2017 Skipton Christmas supreme champions, Whalley father and son, Richard and Mark Ireland, along with a second prize winner in the same day’s standalone lamb carcase competition. This, too, was bred in Lancashire.
For good measure, Mr Cropper Jnr was also in action at the Skipton Christmas prime cattle ringside, going well into four figures to secure a first prize Parthenais-cross steer bred in the Yorkshire Dales.
In addition, he bought the prime lamb supreme champions for the second year in succession at Clitheroe Auction Mart’s Christmas show.
All his acquisitions have been carefully prepared for the keynote festive trade, with some top-notch festive roasts, plus all the other popular cuts, including some speciality lamb and beef products, set to make it a Christmas to remember for Sanderson’s customers.
“We’ve left no stone unturned in going all out to secure some of the very best meat that money can buy this year, though our customers can rest assured it will all be sold at our normal shop prices. Let’s call it our Christmas treat for people who have loyally supported us since I first took over in 2016.”
“Our customers remain our lifeblood and I wanted to give something extra-special back at this special time of year,” said Mr Cropper Jnr, who maintains a policy of sourcing meat from local farmers wherever possible in support of the regional agricultural economy.