Christmas Madness

Today has been such an overwhelming day, and I feel like I have to share it because I don't think anyone could ever imagine what can go on in a little high street butchers shop! Today and tomorrow are the two days that customers collect their orders for Christmas. For the 12 days previous all the butchers have worked without a single day off, starting at 6/7am and some days not coming home until 9pm in order to prepare and allocate every single meat order. I have no idea how they keep going, I am in awe of how physically hard they work.

7am. There were already a few customers avidly waiting for the doors to open. I started making pigs-in-blankets with Beth fresh for the counter. I am so happy we managed to make these as I know in previous years people have asked me, and we just haven't had the time or staff to do so! I know having a nose around the supermarkets it is hard to work out where the meat for this sort of product comes from so it's nice that we could give customers something that they know is 100% a Suffolk product.

10am. I started serving customers, running up and down stairs like a mad woman to collect turkeys and different meat joints ordered. I love serving at Christmas because there is such a buzz and love thinking about all the gorgeous meals people are going to cook for family and friends. Arthur who helps filling up the counter went and took these pictures of the queue and shop early afternoon, and as customers kept telling me, the length didn't change much throughout the day.

 

3am. Dad finally noticed I hadn't stopped all day so I ran to Crabtree's for a coffee and cake, but when the queue's like it is, and knowing how hard the boys have worked for two weeks it's impossible to stop any longer than it is needed to wolf down a slice of Victoria Sponge! Late afternoon Jock, who is now retired but was my Dad's first employee, came in to give us a tin of sweets. At this point I was so tired I thought I was going to get emotional... It sounds so stupid but when the shop was established 20 years ago (it's nearly as old as me!) it was half the size it was, their was only Dad and Jock working in it in a dead high street, and some years my Dad was so overworked and physically exhausted we had no family life at all... So to then see the endless queue in a buzzing high street and Christmas cards thanking the butchers for the service they contribute to the high street makes my heart swell with pride. Knowing how important the shop is to the community makes all those years of Andrew's hard work and sacrifice somehow worth it.