A NEW Cirencester farm shop launched by one of the oldest butchery businesses in Britain has been awarded membership of the national Butchers Q Guild.

Jesse’s Farm Shop in Love Lane joins an exclusive and growing stable of over 110 award-winning independent butchers across the nation to gain membership to the guild.

The new farm shop, managed by twin brothers David and John Hawes, was opened earlier this year, while the Q Guild brand is widely recognized as a seal of excellence, with some of the highest quality butchers in the UK among its ranks.

The farm shop complements the original Jesse Smith’s butchers in nearby Black Jack Street, which was established in 1808, one of the oldest butcher’s shops in the country.

The Love Lane shop has a state-of-the-art meat preparation and distribution facility, a production kitchen, catering department, retail shop and the Butcher Block Café.

David Hawes snr, the twins’ father, whose family have owned the business for three generations, said: “The new farm shop in Cirencester came about because we had outgrown our previous premises and my twin boys, David and John, having reached the age of 23, wanted to expand the business. The new shop has also allowed us to install the very latest equipment, including a bespoke Himalayan salt wall dry aging room."

He said: “All our equipment is run by solar power and by also reusing the heat from the compressors to heat the water it enables us to be as green as you can get.

“We have been members of the Q Guild for many years and meeting like-minded business people is not only great fun, but also a privilege.

“Being members helps us move the business forward – and we are certainly doing that, as all our shops have since become finalist for the Best Butcher’s Shops of the south-west and the best Small Butchers of the UK.”

Gordon Newlands, Q Guild manager, said: “We warmly welcome Jesse’s Farm Shop as a new member. The quality of the business sits nicely with the ethos of the guild and we look forward to seeing them and their staff at regional meetings, along with their participation in all the guild social events.”