The Butchers Shop in Church Hill Milford on Sea has been an award winning butchers run by David Gates for the past 36 years and he is now taking a well-earned retirement.
It may be the end of an era, but thankfully it is not the end for the village butchers. The new owner will be Keith Potter, who is a very experienced master butcher and he has owned other butchers businesses in the past. Keith intends to open and to continue to trade as a traditional butcher immediately on the changeover on Monday 25th October 2021.
David's told us a little about his history:
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"My family moved to Milford on Sea in 1953, just after my birth. I attended Milford on Sea Primary School and also Ashley Secondary Modern School.
My first job was as a butcher’s boy working for Mr Cooke in what was the other butchers' shop in the Village.
My first full time role in the trade was working in Willis’ (Oakeshott's) Food store in Lymington. My training was given by the then Butchery Manager Mr Frank Taylor, who later went on to buy Pascoe's Butchers Shop (my shop). They ran the shop for quite a few years before selling to Dave Calvert, the Butcher from whom I bought the shop, I moved in on 1st April 1985. Chris Pidgley, my assistant started with me 2nd week in July 1985 and has been with me ever since."
When 'The Butchers Shop' is described as 'award winning', it is with very good cause as you will see below.
David's first award was in a sausage competition was in 1989, he then went on to gather all of these accolades:
- New Forest Supreme Champion 1989
- Champion of Champions Finalist 1990
- Hampshire Supreme Champion 1990
- Champion of Champions finalist 1991
- Surrey Open Champion 1992
- Portsmouth & District open Supreme Champion 1995
- Hampshire Champion 1996
- Champion of Champions Finalist 1996
- Champion of Champions finalist 1997
- National Sausage Winners Champion 1998
- Hampshire Supreme Champion 2005
- Home-Cured Bacon Champion 2017
- Creative Display Southern region runner up 1991
- Creative Display Southern region Winner 1992
- Creative Display National Finalist 1993
- He also has 100+ gold awards from various Regional and National Competitions.
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David recalls that he also once featured in a ‘Sun Spot’ in The Sun newspaper with his Pork & Heineken Sausage - To reach the parts that other sausages could not reach!
David continued: "I have always tried to obtain and sell the best meat available from as local a source as possible.
We have provided a hog roast service for many local parties and weddings, also Paella occasionally. Hog Roast on the Green was a regular feature of the Milford Carnival, and Music Festivals, the first event we provided food for was the V.E. Day event.
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Whilst we were cooking on the Green, my family always took part in the procession on The Butchers Shop Float.
I would of course like to take this opportunity to thank all the good people of Milford on Sea for their support over the years, I have enjoyed being involved in Village life and my family and I are grateful for the opportunities we have been given, we will still be living here and look forward to continued involvement.
I hope that as many of you as can will give Keith the same support as you have given me. The village needs a good butcher, and in Keith I believe we have one. I would like to wish him and his team the greatest success."
I am sure many of us would like to thank David for his loyal service to the village, as well as his delicious meats!
Local butchers have slowly disappeared from village life and we have been lucky to have had Dave and are delighted that the tradition is to continue with the new owner, Keith.
We wish david many happy years in whatever he choses to do next.
The Magical Milford Lights Switch On will be on Friday 3rd December so pop this in your diary now.
