Choose a reliable Christmas butcher for your meat delivery
What to look for in your reliable Christmas butcher
It’s that time of year again to start thinking about Christmas dinner. As a Christmas dinner is not complete without the traditional Christmas beef, Christmas turkey or Christmas ham, it can be a daunting task trying to find a reliable Christmas butcher to meet your Christmas delivery needs.
Finding a Christmas butcher is not as easy as you may think, and unfortunately, you may not be able to tell that they are no good until it’s too late and you are serving up your Christmas meals. So how do you go about finding a Christmas butcher who is reliable, offers great service and, most importantly, provides the perfect meats for your Christmas rush?
Check out their testimonials
Before you go any further, we recommend looking at the reviews and testimonials left by guests on their google page, Facebook page and other review platforms. Whilst you are often going to find more negative reviews than positive ones because we generally only leave a review to complain, you will still get a good idea of what to expect from the butcher and whether they will be able to handle your enquiry.
What is their experience level?
Catering meat to hundreds if not thousands of customers during a busy season like Christmas is no mean feat, and a butcher needs to have a good amount of experience with this holiday to be able to keep up with the rush and still provide perfect meat choices. Take a look at your Christmas butchers About us page to find out more about how long they have been working the Christmas season.
Can they deliver your produce on time?
It’s all very well and good if your Christmas butcher has the experience and the produce in stock, but if they are not able to deliver to your restaurant in time for the big holiday rush, you will end up letting down your customers and losing your reputation. Be sure that your Christmas butcher can deliver when they say they will.
Visit their store before you purchase anything
If you have found a Christmas butcher that has its own store, we suggest visiting them before making any purchases. Spend some time with the head butcher, and find out about where their meat comes from and how it is looked after when it reaches them. Taste some samples and find the perfect meats and accompaniments for your menu.
Choosing the main meat dish from your Christmas butcher
Now that you have found your perfect Christmas butcher, it is time to decide on the main dishes you will be serving, not just on Christmas day but in the run-up to the holiday as well. Christmas parties generally start in hotels and restaurants from 1st December to ensure corporate parties and families and friends can make a booking in plenty of time. Here are some popular options for your main dish:
Turkey – It just would be Christmas without turkey, whether you are serving it on the big day or on the days leading up!
Chicken – For some, turkey is just a bit too dry, and when that is the case, often the next option is to choose chicken. We would always recommend having chicken on your menu.
Ham – Us brits love gammon ham, however it’s served. Get really creative with your meat and add spices and jams, or leave it completely untouched and just cooked to perfection.
Beef – Always a popular option throughout the year, beef offers your guests something a little different, particularly if they would like to save their turkey dinner for Christmas day.
Vegetarian option – You cannot have a Christmas menu without having some vegetarian options included. Many restaurants opt for nut roast or mushroom wellington as tasty options.
The main thing to consider when planning your Christmas menu is to offer your guests a variety of choices, so they don’t feel like they are having the same thing every time – particularly if this isn’t their only Christmas party! Be sure to cater for those with food intolerances and allergies so that all feel welcome. When you choose IMS of Smithfield as your Christmas butcher, we will be sure to inform you of anything you need to be aware of with our meats and accompaniments.
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Frequently asked questions | Butchery | IMS of Smithfield
IMS of Smithfield is ready to be your Christmas butcher
Since 1970, IMS of Smithfield has been working hard to provide only the best meats for domestic and commercial customers throughout London and beyond. Starting from our humble beginnings at the Smithfield Market site, we built our reputation as being a reliable butcher all year round – not just at Christmas! Working with some of the largest London Restaurant Groups and hotel chains, we had to scale up our store due to an increase in customer demand. You will now find us in Kings Cross in a 15,200sq high-grade facility.
If you would like to find out more about how we can become your Christmas butcher of choice this year, simply get in touch or come and pay us a visit to take a look at our produce and meet our fantastic team. We look forward to helping you beat the Christmas rush.