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BUTCHER FARRELL, WHO SUPPLIES MEAT TO SOME OF THE REGION'S BEST RESTAURANTS, SAYS WHILE HIS METHODS AREN'T EVERYONE'S CUP OF TEA, THAT'S WHAT SEPARATES HIS SHOP FROM

OTHER MEAT COUNTERS 06:00, 21 May 2025 "There's no secret formula - it's just a question of being chatty people that enjoy food". That's Jonny Farrell, the name

behind Butcher Farrell's Meat Emporium, the butcher's shop which supplies some of the region's best restaurants - and which recently opened a second, larger store in Ormskirk.

Specialising in dry-aging and high welfare meat, Butcher Farrell's began as a relatively small meat counter in Owd Barn, Bispham. Jonny, who'd swapped a career in audio

engineering for butchery while living in Shanghai, came back to the UK to study the art of food before opening the shop in 2020. The butchery has gone on to win numerous awards for its work

while restaurants such as Manifest, Vetch, Cucina di Vincenzo, '8' by Andrew Sheridan and Michelin-starred sō-lō all cook its meat. In November last year, Butcher Farrell's

Meat Emporium opened another site, this time on Church Street in Ormskirk. The new store replaces D.C Scott & Sons, another butcher but one which Butcher Farrell's differs from in

several respects - so much so that some locals have reportedly been "very upset" with their new local meat counter. Speaking to the ECHO, Jonny said: "In around May last year,

the guys from Scott’s got in touch and asked if we were interested in the site because they were thinking of selling up. "To be completely honest, I wasn't too sure. We weren’t

sure what was the right thing to do. So, I went down and stood outside, and I was looking at the high street thinking, ‘We don’t need another coffee shop here, we don't need another

vape shop. What we need is a hub for the community - it needs a butcher’s shop.’ "I thought that it’d be heartbreaking if the site didn’t go to a butcher’s, so we went for it. Article

continues below "It’s been an interesting journey. It’s like a catch-22 because you've got the legacy of Scott’s, which is great and everything, but there’s pros and cons with

that. "Before we took over, they did a lot more pre-packed meat and they did a lot more marinated things, whereas I prefer to sell the meat, talk to the customer and give them some

recipes, and work that way. Some of the customers of the original Scott’s didn't like that - they just want to walk in, pick something out off the counter and then go home - and

that's that. "There’s been some people really upset with us because we've changed bits and pieces, but what do you want us to do? We could’ve not opened up and it

could've become a vape shop - then you would've been upset. "We had one person who was really, really upset that we're not called Scott’s. I was like, ‘I’m nothing to do

with Scott’s'. It would've been weird if I bought the shop and carried on calling it Scott’s because I'm not a Scott. "So we’ve had a couple of those which were fun to

deal with but the majority of everyone's been really happy we're here, and business is really good." Jonny says that his and his staff's methods, while not

everyone's cup of tea, are "why people are drawn to us". He added: "We’re chatty; all of our staff like to talk to the customers, we like to talk about what we do and how

we do it, and also talk about recipes. "We all like food, right? There's a passion and enthusiasm for it that you get from coming to us. "There's no secret formula -

it's just a question of being chatty people that enjoy food. More often than not we'll get into a little argument behind the counter because somebody prefers something one way and

someone else will say, ‘No, that’s wrong - it’s got to be done this way!’ It's a bit of banter between us and it's fun. "It's a nice culture and it's the same with

the other shop." This weekend, "all being well", the butchery will welcome Burscough bakery Lagom to the shop to serve their products from another counter. Jonny said:

"When Lagom opens up, that's gonna be really interesting. People are asking and they're excited about the bakery opening so that's going to be fun. "Lagom’s got such

a great reputation and we work well with them so I think it'll do well. I think they're planning on selling lots of different bits and pieces as well, so it'll be one of

those destinations where you can get a decent amount of shopping done, rather than going to supermarkets - which is my aim because I hate supermarkets. "I use them because they’re a

necessary evil but it's one of those where, if we can stick to independents, we’re better aren't we?" Butcher Farrell's places a huge amount of importance on only selling

free range and high welfare meat. Jonny said that while the added cost of purchasing high welfare meat does sometimes "cause problems" with customers, he added: "Obviously it

comes with a higher price tag, but the really cool thing is people have been eating it and coming back, and making a trip to come see us, just to tell us the chicken was amazing and it

actually tasted of chicken. "That's 100% percent what we want and I think that's the important thing, that's the positive thing; fair enough, it costs a little bit more

than what you anticipate but the quality you get is by far better. "And you don't need to eat a ribeye steak three or four times a week. A ribeye is a treat. Come into our shop and

we will talk to you about a different cut that can save a bit of cash here and there, that you still get really good products from. "And then, when you want to treat yourself, then you

have your dry-aged ribeye." Jonny thanked his customers, saying: "I want to just thank everybody that's come into the shop and supported us because that's a massive

thing. Without custom then we're doing it for nothing and we employ 15 people now, which is also a massive thing; people give up their lives to come and work for you, and I don’t take

it lightly. Article continues below "It's an amazing accomplishment just to have staff that want to turn up every day and work for you. It's been a really tough six months for

each shop. Staff at both shops have had to bear with us a lot so a big thank you to those guys as well because otherwise I couldn’t do it."