Watch: 'Turkeys and hams are the biggest seller' at Christmas time - family butcher
After 31 years behind his own butcher's counter David McGrane knows a thing or two about what people want on their table for Christmas Day dinner.
"It's always very busy for butchers at this time of year," said McGrane in the run up to the big day.
Agriland caught up with the Co. Meath butcher on one of those days when customers were in collecting their Christmas orders.
He told us: "For years I worked in supermarkets and I always wondered where people went at Christmas time; we were busy all year-round, but at Christmas, they went to the butchers.
"Christmas comes once a year and customers want to go the extra mile; they want to feel confident in what they are cooking.
According to McGrane, turkey and ham remain the undisputed choice at the dinner table this Christmas, but buying habits have changed over time.
When he started out in the trade in the early 1980's, the main thing customers were asking for were whole turkeys and large hams.
Christmas dinner
But according to the Co. Meath butcher times have changed - families are smaller and budgets tighter over the years and he has seen more consumers making different choices.
McGrane added: "A lot of people are buying turkey breast meat, they can get it any size they like, it's gone in a day or two and they are not spending a fortune.
"People do not want to see the turkey sitting on the table for three or four days anymore."
While the tradition of turkey and ham seems to be here to stay, Christmas also brings demand for other premium cuts.
The Co. Meath butcher said fillet steaks, in particular, are "very popular", along with smaller roasts.
David's Family Butchers
McGrane first took over the shop, which is situated on Trimgate Street in Navan town, in 1994, although he believes there has been a butcher's on the site for over a century.
The business today is family-run and is firmly rooted in sourcing Irish produce, something that McGrane prides himself on.
"Everything we do here is Irish and we would be proud to say that - the beef, lamb, pork, chicken - it's all local."
The beef that is sold in David's Family Butchers is sourced from Coogan's in Trim, Co. Meath, while the lamb is provided by Irish Country Meats, which is located only a short distance away from the shop.
All its pork is sourced from Ryan Meats in Ballyfermot, with all curing of the bacon and ham, as well as the making of the sausages, being done in-house by McGrane and his team.
"Irish produce might cost a little bit more, but I can stand by it better and I can guarantee that it is a good product.
"The day we have to start importing meat would be a sad day," he said.
