New Butcher

Small Farms/Tom Bounds opened their doors today, with an impressive selection of fine meat. It's organic, it's local (well, localish - there was beef from Devon, but a lot of the meat will be coming from Lower Porthamel and another really local farm), and they're selling game from Bishop's Castle, too. It would take a lot to tempt me away from Chris Gibbons' sausages, but I do like a bit of venison now and again, and I don't always get it together to visit the fish van from Ludlow on the Thursday market, which has been the place to buy game around here up until now. I usually end up chatting to the nice couple at the plant stall while Islay scoffs their biscuits when I do go round the market and then I run out of time to buy anything.

Islay also likes to say hello to the sheep dog on the antiques stall - this was the chap who briefly moved into the old carpet and rug shop, but couldn't display anything outside because the road is too narrow. The shop is now occupied by Adela's Dress Agency, with some very expensive looking designer label stuff. Last week, when it was bitterly cold, the sheepdog was curled up in a dog bed that was for sale, and all you could see of him was a long nose poking out from under the blanket.