The Adver meets Andy Crump of K&EJ Crump & Son in Royal Wootton Bassett

THIRTY years ago Keith and Jean Crump took a detour on their way home to Oxfordshire.

The couple, who had spent months scouring Devon and Cornwall in vain for the perfect village shop to house their family butcher’s, fancied a brief break from the road.

Driving down Wootton Bassett High Street a ‘for sale’ sign caught their attention.

The town centre has changed beyond recognition since that fateful day in 1985 but despite the crushing march of supermarket giants, K&EJ Crump & Son remains a welcome constant for legions of loyal customers.

“Obviously it was fate,” says Andy Crump, 49, who took over the family business when his late father Keith retired in 1999.

“Dad originally wanted to find something in Devon or Cornwall and they spent two or three months there trying to find an appropriate shop. On the way home they stopped for a break in Wootton Bassett and they saw the shop.”

By 1987, the building underwent a large expansion.

Andy was just eight when he and his sister began giving a hand, doing odd jobs and chores in the family’s village store in Tetsworth, Oxfordshire.

A fast learner, by the time he turned 10, he was his father’s right-hand man travelling with him from village to village in a Transit van to sell their fare.

The apple did not fall far from the tree, and when he left school before his 16th birthday in the early 1980s, Andy immediately commenced training with a professional butcher before returning to his parents’ newly-opened family butcher’s in Watlington.

“It’s a family business so everyone chipped in,” adds Andy.

“When I left school, I started training straight away. It was the only thing I’d ever known. Going in the trade was inevitable. It was hard work but I enjoyed it. My dad wanted me to learn other ways of butchering – everybody uses different techniques – so I worked at the covered market in Oxford for a year.”

The lease on the shop coming to an end, Keith set his sights on Devon and Cornwall for the family’s next venture. But the Wootton Bassett High Street beckoned and in 1985, K&EJ Crump welcomed its very first customers.

After a spot as a removals worker, Andy joined the business for good in 1988.

“I realised that I needed to come back into the business and do what I did best. I came back in 1988 and that’s where I’ve been very since.

“My dad retired in 1999 because of arthritis; he couldn’t do it anymore. I was 34 and I was thrown in at the deep end. It was big challenge. My dad had an aura about him. Everybody loved mum and dad.”

“He was a nightmare to work with,” he laughs. “He knew what he wanted and that’s what he got. He set the standard very high and that’s what people expect from us.”

The demands of the job and long hours have not exactly been a walk in the park, but lucky for him, Andy was never one to shy away from hard work or early mornings.

“Butchering has had its testing moments. It’s not the easiest profession to be in. I can be here at 4am, get the window displays ready, and start prepping for the day. It’s not an issue for me, I’m a morning person but it’s quite long hours. At least 65 per cent of the work is done behind the scene. Everything is homemade. We make the sausages on Wednesday and Fridays and it takes three people four hours to make 750lb of sausages. We have 26 kinds at any one time on display. If I didn’t enjoy it I wouldn’t still be in the game.”

He may have followed in his father’s footsteps but considering his profession he is not as much of a carnivore as one might expect. He would choose a bowl of his beloved cereal over a juicy steak any day.

“I enjoy meat but I don’t eat massive amounts of it,” he confesses. “People think when you’re a butcher you must have steak every night. But I’ve always loved my cereal. I could live off it and I do – I have two bowls a day.”

K&EJ Crump & Son counts six full-time staff including Andy and four part-time employees.

Since its inception, the business has won 14 gold and eight silver medals.

The Bassett Banger ‘dreamt up’ by Keith remain firm favourites in the town. The store sells ten times as many as any other variety.

Over the last 30 years, the going has been tough for independent shopkeepers on the nation’s High Streets. Contending with large supermarkets has proven challenging at the best of times for the Crumps but the business continues to thrive.

“Over the years there has been a massive decline in independent butchers. And our actual trade pattern has changed dramatically but we go with the flow. You always get competition from supermarkets. You’ve only got to look High Streets, so many shops are closed, it’s frightening. But we are supplying something different from supermarkets – we have the quality.

“Our goal is to continue to do what we’re doing, improve and increase trade. There is a place for shops like ours on the High Street. We’ve got to be optimistic.

“When we first came down and dad set up his store he said we were going to trade in quality. That’s what has stood us in good stead for 30 years.”

K&EJ Crump & Son is based at 120 High Street, Royal Wootton Bassett. For more details call 01793 853284 or go to www.crumpbutchers.co.uk.

RECIPE

Beef and Ale Pot Roast

Serves: 6

Temperature: Gas mark 3, 170C

Cooking time: Approx. 2 1/2 hours

INGREDIENTS

1.25kg (2 1/2 lb) lean brisket of Scotch Beef, boned and rolled

15ml (1tbsp) oil

2 red onions, quartered

6 - 8 baby carrots, peeled

4 sticks celery, cut into chunks

2 bay leaves

Black pepper

450ml (3/4 pt) beef stock

150ml (1/4 pt) dark ale

15-30ml (1 - 2tbsp) gravy granules

METHOD

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the joint and brown all sides.

Place in a deep 3.4 litre (6pt) ovenproof casserole dish. Arrange the onions, carrots, celery and bay leaves around the joint and season well. Add the stock and brown ale. Cover with a tight fitting lid and cook for 2 hours.

Thicken with gravy granules if desired.

EAT

Serve joint cut into thick slices with braised vegetables and new potatoes.