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End of an era
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| Best butchers in town: Mr Kent (left) with the Holt's |
A family of butchers have hung up their meat cleavers after about 60 years in a town.
Holts butchers in Newland Street, Witham, is something of an institution in the town having sold meat to generations of happy customers.
Anthony Holt, 61, has been working in the shop since he was 23-years-old and he started running the family business in 1995.
He said: "It has been very much a family business but at the same time we have sold ourselves as well as our product which is an important factor."
Deborah Holt-Atkinson, Anthony's sister who also helped with the family business, said: "My brother was to meat and butchery what Picasso was to painting."
The man behind the successful shop is Leonard Holt, 92, who said he first came to Witham in 1945.
Mr Holt said butchery is the only thing he has ever known and in recent years he has been "doing a couple of jobs just to get me out of bed," despite being in his 90s.
The shop is to keep the same name but it has been taken over by John Kent who is a director of Chappel-based Direct Meats.
Mr Kent, a former pupil at John Bramston School, took over the shop about a fortnight ago and he said he heard about the opportunity through the grapevine and decided it fitted in with what he wanted to do with is business.
For the full story see the Witham and Braintree Times.
11:11am Friday 14th March 2008
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CommentPosted by: Tim, Witham on 2:07pm Fri 14 Mar 08
What a shame - a real butchers shop with proper service bites the dust. It will be sorely missed.
What a shame - a real butchers shop with proper service bites the dust. It will be sorely missed.
Posted by: mrs c, witham on 7:29pm Mon 17 Mar 08
Thank you and good luck retirment your service has been perfect and a credit to the town. The best place in Essex for local game, fresh fish and the only place i can get ox heart. I welcome Mr Kent and wish him well and will now give him my custom.
Thank you and good luck retirment your service has been perfect and a credit to the town. The best place in Essex for local game, fresh fish and the only place i can get ox heart. I welcome Mr Kent and wish him well and will now give him my custom.
Posted by: CJB, x Witham Resident on 6:02pm Thu 20 Mar 08
Just read that the Holts are retiring. May I wish them good luck and I hope that Mr Kent will carry on with the fine service and tradition that they gave. It would be sad to see yet another independent shop go down the pan
Just read that the Holts are retiring. May I wish them good luck and I hope that Mr Kent will carry on with the fine service and tradition that they gave. It would be sad to see yet another independent shop go down the pan
Posted by: Alan Pumfrey, Dubai on 2:09pm Mon 21 Apr 08
Enjoy your retirement Tony, all the very best from Alan Pumfrey in Dubai.
Enjoy your retirement Tony, all the very best from Alan Pumfrey in Dubai.
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