The fine art of butchering is a tradition that runs deep in the family of beef and lamb producer and butcher, Myles Doyle, from near Dunlavin, Co. Wicklow.
Myles’ father and his six uncles all had butcher shops scattered throughout Dublin in times gone past, and after leaving Warrenstown Agricultural College as an ambitious teenager, he too followed on the family tradition.
He started out as an apprentice butcher in Doyles of Pearse St. at 19-years-of-age, and spent another 19 years working there before the opportunity arose to buy a butcher shop of his own in Dunlavin.
He said buying the butcher shop was a massive leap of faith, but he saw the potential it had.
21 years later, the shop continues to do a good trade.
Myles’ son, Stephen, has also recently joined the family business and is a friendly face behind the counter of the shop – selling everything from steaks and mince, to lamb chops and oven-ready meals to the shop’s many customers.
The beef and lamb sold in the shop is sourced from the Doyle family farm in Grangebeg, which is located in Co. Kildare, just outside the town of Dunlavin.
Speaking to Agriland, Myles explained: “We buy Angus and Hereford heifers at the mart from local farmers. The heifers we buy generally range in weight from 350-400kg, and we bring these to finish on our farm at around 550kg.”
The lamb sold in the shop is born and reared on Doyles’ farm and every year, a selection of early spring lambs are also bought from a local farmer in time to supply the customers with early lamb in time for Easter.
The farm keeps a flock of 180 Texel-cross ewes that generally lamb from March 14 onwards.
Myles said: “We are tying to add some Belclare breeding to the flock also to increase prolificy. We lamb our ewes generally from March 14 onwards.
“The lambs are fattened off grass and also graze Tyfon, which is a stubble turnip with a big cabbage-type leaf. This is sown with grass seed, and is used as part of the reseeding programme on the farm.”
Myles said: “We aim for a lamb with a carcass weight of between 22-25kg, which is slightly heavier than the factory specifications.
“There is a big spike in demand for lamb at Easter and then it settles. Customers tend to want a leg of lamb, but yet you only have two legs on a lamb so you have to sell the other parts too, which are every bit as nice.
“We sell all lamb in the shop, nobody wants mutton (meat from mature ewes) any more, but it used to be a big seller in the butcher shops in Dublin in the past. From time-to-time, you would have a customer from the older generation coming in asking for it.”
Both the heifers and the lambs are slaughtered at O’Gorman Meats in Castledermot, Co. Kildare and return to the Doyles’ shop in carcass form, where they are prepared into the various cuts of meat for the customers.
A selection of the prime cuts of beef are dry aged on the bone for 28-35 days, which Myles says adds a great deal to the flavour and the quality of the high-end steaks on offer in the shop.
Approximately 125-130 heifers/year are fattened on the family’s 34ha farm and all of the beef is sold in the family shop.
Commenting on how things in the butcher trade have changed over the years, Myles said: “The trade has changed massively. When I started out as a butcher, there was no word of beef stroganoff or stir fry but now, they are huge sellers for us.
“You also have the beef truffles, beef nests and then the value-added options for the customers.
“When a customers buys their meat, they also want the gratin potato or whatever it may be to go along with it and nowadays, it’s essential to have a good variety of meal options for the customer.
“In the last four-to-five years, the sales of value-added options has grown massively in the shop. More and more people want meals that are good value, fresh and can be cooked and ready to eat in a short space of time.”
Adding to this, Stephen, who has a keen interest in food innovation and cooking, said: “We have to be coming up with new ideas, dishes and recipes for our beef and lamb all the time.”
Myles added: “The way I was brought up butchering was to sell the whole carcass, be it beef or lamb, so if something isn’t selling, you figure out a way.
“It’s like a lot of things in life, if something isn’t going your way, there’s no good in whinging and crying about it, just get on and do something about it.”
The Doyles family-run shop also places an emphasis on supporting local artisan food producers.
Their honey is locally sourced, as well as the sourdough bread, and Ballymore organics provide the shop with with organic porridge.
In an era of big supermarkets and mega retail chains, the ingenuity and resilience of the Doyles’ family shop in offering such a great range of meal options will hopefully ensure its continued success long into the future.