Member Article

Bedale butchers unveils new shop

A family-run butchers shop in the market town of Bedale has unveiled new branding and a refurbished shop in its sixtieth year.

Cockburn’s was first established in 1960 and has been a popular choice on the high street for the people of Bedale and the surrounding area as well as local pubs, restaurants and hospitality businesses.

The refurbishment project had been planned for over a year but was delayed due to the Covid pandemic, during which time the company diversified its offering to provide home delivery to people who were vulnerable or isolating.

Jonathan Coburn, director at Cockburn’s said: “We know that people enjoy coming to the shop but with the lockdown and ongoing pandemic it just wasn’t possible for some. So, we put together a model whereby they could order their meat, pies and cheese and have it delivered, with this including local Wensleydale eggs and fresh milk, too.

“We wanted to invest in the shop and its facilities not only for the benefit of our business and our customers, but also for other businesses in the town. We are lucky to have many fantastic independent businesses here and it’s important for our local economy that we all contribute to helping it thrive.”

Cockburn’s has recognised the need to provide jobs for young people in the current climate and has made a commitment to employ a new generation of butchers, creating an apprenticeship to deliver this. The company also employed an additional member of staff to support the ongoing provision of the delivery service which continues to be popular, ahead of the imminent Christmas season which is exceptionally busy.

Jonathan continued: “We’d especially like to recognise the efforts of Modus Buildings and Capital Refrigeration, whose help and advice made the project so much easier and brought our vision to life.

“Sadly, our front of house man Fred Healey who has helped run the shop like clockwork for the last 20 years has taken early retirement due to ill health. As a valued member of staff, we want to say a massive thank you and I’m sure many of our customers will miss him greatly.”

Cockburn’s uses traditional methods of preparing and hanging meat alongside more up to date and unique ways to ensure every taste is catered for. It produces award winning sausages and a specialist range of meats for the barbecue as well as rare and exotic meats from around the world, including crocodile and kudu.

The company prides itself on being both knowledgeable and friendly, working with local farmers and specialist suppliers as the high quality of their produce is of paramount concern as is the welfare of all animals.

The refurbishment project included redesigning the entire shop as well as back of house, including a complete refit for walls and floors, brand new refrigeration and new uniforms for staff. Cockburn’s can be found on Bedale High Street and is open Monday to Saturday.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Peachy Digital .