Family butchers back home (From Oxford Mail)

Family butchers back home

2:00pm Friday 31st August 2012 in News

THE latest generation of a historic Oxford family butchers has reopened his shop in its spiritual home at the heart of the Covered Market.

Matthew Alden, with Claudia Cifrodelli and Paul Jackson, opened the new Meatmaster cash and carry this week following in the footsteps of his ancestor Isaac Alden who opened on the same site in the 1790s.

Mr Alden, who is the sixth generation of the butchers’ family, said: “We are very excited. The market has got a lot of character and there is still a lot of trade to be had here.”

The shop will be supplied by the existing Meatmaster business in Osney Mead, which originally opened as a primarily trade outlet. Mr Alden said 95 per cent of customers are members of the public. A total of £200,000 has been spent refitting the shop, which used to be part of Haymans Fisheries run by Mr Alden’s father, Richard. Haymans will continue to trade next door.