After 75 years in business, a butcher shop in Wareham, Dorset, has expanded for the first time – creating a slice of history in the process.
B Curtis Butchers, a family business founded in 1951, has opened a new farm shop venture at Holme for Gardens, near Wareham, creating five new jobs, expanding its product range and introducing Dorset’s first Himalayan salt wall dry ageing room.
Dorset’s first Himalayan salt wall is ageing beef for up to 100 days
Himalayan salt wall ageing room
Basil Reginald ‘Reg’ Curtis established the company in West Street, Wareham, 75 years ago, building its name on professional friendly service, trusted provenance and exceptional quality.
His son Derrick Curtis took over the business in 1997 and when he started to think about retirement, Basil’s grandson David left his London career in financial services to learn the business and make sure that the name wasn’t lost.
Curtis Butchers has continued to source its beef, pork and lamb from family run farms across the Isle of Purbeck and wider Dorset, including Purbeck Angus beef supplied by Steve Goldsack and pork from local farmer Phil Samways.
It also stocks free range poultry from Dorset and Devon, and locally sourced venison and game, and has now extended its range to offer a butchery led provisions store from the farm shop at Holme for Gardens.
At the heart of the new store – previously run by the Salt Pig – is a glass fronted Himalayan salt wall ageing room where beef or other meats can be aged for up to 100 days.
Curtis Butchers was first opened in West Street, Wareham in 1951
And 75 years later, its farmshop is breaking new ground
“A good talking point for the shop”
David Curtis said:
“We have imported 220 blocks of Himalayan salt to build the wall, each measuring a foot long, so they are quite heavy. The principle is to take the moisture out of the room through the action of the salt, to increase the tenderness of the beef and to enhance the flavour profile.
“We also have a dehumidifier in there running in there to help with that process, and also a UV light which is antibacterial and conditions the air.
“We are looking to age meat from 35 days up to 100 days, or whatever any client would like us to do. Most people will age beef from 21 to 28 days, the taste starts getting stronger after that and it gains in tenderness and flavour.
“We are the first in Dorset to have a Himalayan salt wall – there are some big butchers in London who have done it, but nothing around here.
“It also provides a good talking point for the shop, so I decided to go for full glass windows which had to be custom made, both frame and glass, four metres wide.”
David Curtis has taken over the farm shop at Holme for Gardens
Locally produced meat is still at the heart of the business
Cheeses and picnic provisions have also proved very popular with customers
“Produce our own biltong and jerky”
David added:
“Because the room is so sterile you can leave meat in there for a long time, and we plan to start producing our own biltong, jerky and salami, as well as some ultra aged meat for our high end restaurant customers, like the Pig on the Beach at Studland.
“A lot of farm shops are just meat, fruit and veg, and not really a lot else. I want our new farm shop to be butchery driven, but also to make sure that people can buy their coffee, wine, freezer foods, picnic lunches, pies, cheeses, condiments and more here as well.
“We are going for a destination farm shop, a butchery led provisions store, as well as carrying on the heritage of Curtis Butchers, open seven days a week and also supply the best beef you can find locally!
“We have been very busy since we opened here – Holme for Gardens is like an experience in its own right, people visit to have a walk round the gardens, stop for a meal at the cafe, buy plants and flowers and enjoy the shopping.”
Curtis Butchers have partnered with the Italian Bakery to provide fresh bread daily
Fruit and veg are also sourced locally and arrive each morning
While the farmshop offers hand picked wine selections, its Purbeck Cider, Hattie Brown’s beers and Gloriette gins are all local
Features around every corner
The 15 acres of gardens at Holme have been transformed in the last decade, changing the features and the habitats to encourage a huge range of insects, birds and other wildlife, at the same time as putting on a show of colour and scents for visitors.
From lavender walks to a bluebell wood, wild flower meadows to a butterfly meadow and a pond dipping centre, nature is placed at the heart of the garden creation as part of the wider Wareham Arc nature recovery zone.
There are features around every corner, including Holme Henge with its two tonne Purbeck stone monoliths from Suttle quarries and a grass banked amphitheatre where outdoor productions are staged through summer.
A set of steel sculptures, made in Dorset by Wild Edge Sculptures, has also been installed in the gardens at Holme. Made by Ian McMillan, his contemporary metal wildlife sculptures are made out of stainless steel and reclaimed materials.
Holme for Gardens has 15 acres of gardens, walks and meadows
A trail of Wild Edge Sculptures has been installed through the gardens
Like all Wild Edge sculptures, this owl is made out of stainless steel and reclaimed materials
Further information
- Follow Curtis Butchers on its Facebook page
- See what else Holme for Gardens has to offer
