IT was in the mid-19th century that Waind and Son, butchers and farmers, was established in Kirkbymoorside and today twin brothers Richard and Jeremy continue the tradition.

There are two separate businesses. Richard and his mother operate the butchers' shop in Kirkbymoorside; Jeremy farms at River House, Brawby.

With a staff of five local people, the butchers' shop in the main street of Kirkbymoorside - the only one in the town - is still run on traditional lines. Richard says many Kirkby folk travel to York and other large centres to do a lot of their shopping in the supermarkets and this affects all the local shopkeepers. But in spite of this competition, on the morning I called, there was a steady of customers in the shop.

All the meat sold in the shop is produced locally. The beef comes from cattle fattened by Richard in farm buildings just outside the town. All are heifers, mainly Limousin or Belgium Blue cross which are bought as stores and fattened on barley and concentrates.

Richard said this after-work job is a hobby for him, a way of relaxing after work. Farming, he said, is his first love, though the reality of farming today makes his day-time business in the shop far more important than his part-time hobby.

The BSE scare, he said, had little impact on his business because he can demonstrate to his customers where his meat comes from and how it is fed. Indeed, sales increased because his customers knew where his cattle came from and, like most country people, never stopped buying beef.

Pigs are bought on the hook from Richard Horner of Kilburn; sheep comes from his twin brother Jeremy, at Brawby.

Richard still makes his own pork pies following recipes similar to those used well over 100 years ago by his great grandfather. Richard, as a traditional butcher, also makes a wide range of sausages. Some are from new recipes to cater for modern tastes; others are the older traditional ones which were used by his great grandfather.

Richard said that during the holiday season, the shop sells a good deal of produce to people staying in holiday cottages in the district. Some call to sample the Waind wares and then take home take large amounts back home with them. The visitors tell him that traditional butchers seem to have disappeared from their communities, especially in the cities of southern England where all too often, the only source of meat is the supermarket. Perhaps this lack of properly butchered and well-hung meat has a lot to do with falling meat sales across the country.

Amongst the family collection of photos and old account books, Richard showed me an account dated 1904 which lists a local family's shopping for the months of May and June of that year. At the top is a reminder that accounts were due quarterly. Traders in those days must have needed quite a lot of capital to keep their business afloat with such long-term credit. Some of the bigger and more affluent customers probably only paid every twelve months.

The Wainds obviously knew how to cope with lagging cash flow for their business has survived for over 150 years, over 100 years in the current premises.

It is good to see one of our old established butchers' shops still flourishing. This sort of business has been the life blood of our local communities. Because they both buy and sell in the district, they are an essential part of country life.

Firms like this deserve our patronage. It's a case of "use them or lose them", the alternative being the sterile mega sites such as Clifton Moor with little regard to quality and service.

Updated: 09:44 Thursday, February 01, 2001