Charles McHardy, Stonehaven – April 2019

Since November 2017 the town's butcher has been attracting growing attentions. That is since father and son team Robert and Ricky Clark have taken over the long established business that trades under the name of Charles McHardy.

Charles McHardy Butchers has been a much revered name in Stonehaven for as long as most can remember. They achieved the highest accolade in the butchery trade, in being named the Meat Trades Journal Butchers Shop of the Year in 1997.

So when Charlie retired in 2005 the business name was retained and continued for 12 years under Gregor Waite's stewardship until the most recent change.

Gregor closed on the Saturday and the shop opened under new ownership on the Monday. Robert and Ricky (pictured above left) have gradually undertaken some refurbishment, redecoration, general upgrading and new signage as sales steadily grew.

Customers had to be impressed by the vast choice of quality meat and other quality food products. The shop is a veritable food hall with a strong representation of locally sourced produce that creates its own support for the shop.

Even the Aberdeen bypass has been a great boost to the town. New customers are able to access Stonehaven from the north and west of Aberdeen. After enjoying the famous seafront, visitors are discovering the butchers and buying something to take home.

Although they do an element of catering, 90% of the business is retail. A Dry Ager chiller has been installed in the front shop and trimmed beef loins are matured in it for a minimum of 28 days.

Beef is Cairngorm Select from Millers of Speyside, lamb from McIntosh Donald at Portlethen, pork from Millers, turkeys from Gartmorn in Clackmannan.

The business dry cures its own bacon, makes its own mealie puddings, black pudding and haggis to an original family recipe. At any one time, ten different varieties of sausages and of burgers are available from an extensive range.

The range of ready meals, all made on the premises, is extensive with the most popular being macaroni & cheese, mince and tatties, beef olives, sausage & mash, chilli, lasagne, chicken fricassee, kedgeree.

Pie sales have almost doubled and from amongst the usual suspects, Haggis Sausage Rolls have emerged as a Stonehaven speciality and best seller. Robert is hoping that his newly developed salami using local craft brewer, Six Degrees North in Laurencekirk, will be their next big thing.

Roe deer and veal are stocked and fresh fish comes from Stephens in Gourdon and there is an element of added value worked into that with breading in crumb and panko, making fish skewers and fish cakes.

The local flavours continue with eggs from Katie's in Torphins, local honey, banana bread and cakes from Cove, gluten free oatmeal from Alford, Aberdeenshire yoghurt and vegetables direct from Trinity Garden Centre.

Ricky has developed a trade in stir fries and marinated meats, the 21 year old maintaining an offer anywhere between six to ten stir fries at any one time. He feels that he has generated sales of evening meal solutions since they get a busy spell at the end of the day.

Robert has always been a butcher, starting to learn his trade in family business in Inverbervie. Grandfather Robert Mackie Clark established a butcher's business in the 1930s supplying the hundreds of staff who worked in the flax mills there.

His father expanded the business with a catering factory and when Robert left Mackie Academy in Stonehaven he joined the family business. At the age of 26 he joined McWilliam Butchers in Aberdeen and worked his way up to become a manager.

After 18 years there he left and started up a catering division for King Foods in Aberdeen. Then when the opportunity cropped up to buy McHardy's Robert and Ricky were up for the challenge. Sales have grown considerably since taking over just reward for all the hard work and effort.

Including Robert and Ricky there is a staff of ten including two part timers and they are open from 5.30am. until 5.00pm. Handbills and Facebook are used for promotion but with the word of mouth extending well outside Stonehaven that appears to be working really well.

The pair put their success down to good levels of customer satisfaction, personal attention with staff engaging with enthusiastic chat, knowledgeable, cooking advice. All backed up with an unwavering policy of sourcing the best of products.

Robert is proud to be able to say:- “Charlie and his sister come into the shop regularly and they enjoy seeing the things that we are doing.”

There is lots of evidence to confirm that it is not just Charlie McHardy who knows a good butcher's shop when he sees one!