When the then teenager Gary Jordan jumped at the chance of earning some extra pocket-money with a Saturday job at his local butchers he could never have imagined what would unfold.
Back then Gary was a bright-eyed, willing worker keen to graft hard and learn as much as he could — but he wasn’t sure if a career as a professional butcher would be one which he would pursue.
Now, 35-odd years later, highly respected master butcher Gary is not only at the very pinnacle of his trade, but he is also the proud owner of Jordan Butchers. It’s career choice he is delighted he made.
Gary took hold of the reigns at the butchers in Rose Green when previous owner Barry Targett decided to move on. Gary remembers:
“It was a fantastic opportunity but one which came with the prospect of lots of hard work and a real commitment to my trade and to my customers.”
“Now, with the help of a great team we are proud to be considered one of the leading family-run, traditional butches in the area. We have traditional values and they are sacred to us.”
“They help to set us apart from the supermarkets. We do compete price wise with the supermarkets pound for pound. I think back to when my Mum would start with fresh products and make our meals from scratch — that is where we are coming from.”
“We’re not trying to simply be as big as we can, but prefer to take that extra step to go out of our way to cater for the specific requirements of our customers.”
“We’ve always been confident that supreme quality, friendly service and competitive pricing will set us aside from our competitors and, thankfully, that remains the case.”
Walk in to Jordan Butchers, widely recognised as one of Sussex’s favourite butchers, and immediately you are taken by the extraordinary choice available to customers, and there is always a cheery welcome from staff members busily going about their tasks but always happy to help.
And while Gary knows it is vitally important to embrace the “customer is king” approach to his business, he is acutely aware that the most crucial aspect has to be the top quality produce on offer.
You can choose from succulent cuts of Southdown lamb, British beef, locally sourced pork and excellent Norfolk poultry — or make a selection from the superb fresh fish counter, which is stocked daily.
Another aspect to the business is the home-made produce especially created for folk who are following weight loss programmes. Gary added:
“There is a real demand for our ‘diet packs’, which contain tasty treats such as sausages that are 95 per cent extra lean meat. We produced a range of 10 products and are currently selling any seven for just £20.”
Jordan Butchers’ prestigious service also extends to daily catering deliveries to pubs, restaurants, nursing homes and rest homes.
And with Burn’s Night round the corner, on January 25, Gary has some excellent Scottish haggis offers available to make the night one to remember — if you hurry!
