MEET THE CHEF: A quality family butchers in Wellington which has gained a fantastic reputation

He founded the Virgin Group, which controls more than 400 companies.

One of the quotes attribute to Branson about reputations is: “All you have in business is your reputation - so it’s very important that you keep your word.”

On the face of it this quote might seem to have no connection with an award winning butchers in Somerset, but as I found out and I hope you will by reading this article about Tim Potter Son and Daughter, 19 Fore Street, Wellington, you will see how the two fit together perfectly.

The reason it dove tails together is master butcher, Tim Potter, who started his business in the early 1996, has built his reputation on selling quality meats and in his words selling them at ‘realistic prices’.

This combined with customer service and customer satisfaction is why 900 people ordered meat with Tim Potter, Son and Daughter for Christmas.

You don’t get queues out of the shop door at 5.20am in the morning in the final few days in the run up to Christmas if you are not giving people quality food.

Tim began his long and winding road to becoming a master butcher with a Saturday job at Spillmans Butchers in Taunton.

He never dreamed he would become a butcher as he thought he would become a farmer like his father who was a herdsman.

The young Tim used to come home from school and help out on the farm but he got interested in becoming a butcher when he was offered a Saturday job by Mr Cook.

From there on he learnt all he could about being a butcher.

He worked for J Dewhurst for 19 years as a butcher and as a trouble shooter who travelled all across the South West to shops telling them to sell more meat and how to do it right.

Tim did work for another butcher before he was able to buy the shop his business in now based.

He has staff working with him who have been with him anything from seven to 20 years.

He also has his son Chris who is the manufacturing manager and is responsible for making numerous award winning sausages and pasties.

His daughter, Katie is the Deli manager and she runs the sales of all the cooked meats as well as helping with the day to day running of the shop.

It is a true family business which has held its place in the High Street and is still an important fixture for people in and around Wellington.

Tim set up the business with his father in law and one other member of staff Speaking about the family business, Tim said: “We buy as much local meat as we can.

"I always buy top quality and I like to be able to sell quality meat at realistic prices.

"This attracts customers as we cater for a whole variety of people selling value packs two for £5 or a range at £9.99.

“All our beef is aged for 28 days. It comes to us, it is then boned and vacuum packed and then stored ready for use.

What we have achieved is very satisfying and we know a lot of customers by their first names or Mr and Mrs...

“On average we serve 1,500 to 1,800 customers every week. We are always adapting and recently started sell diced goat meat as this is what our customers wanted.

"I would say I enjoy all the different aspects of the art of being a butcher. I love the job satisfaction and there is nothing more satisfying as cutting up all the meat and then seeing hanging there all done.

"There is also the window display and setting everything up for customers.

"I have a good team working here.

“I think Somerset is a lovely county and Wellington is a small town but it feels more like a village.

"Our reputation has been built on quality meat and good customer service.

"You cannot buy a good reputation it has to be earned and once you have you have got to keep your standards high.

"Life is a learning curve and even now at 62 years old I am still learning.”

One of the people who has learnt off Tim is his son Chris who said: “I feel really proud of what my dad has achieved.

"You can only get out of a business what you put into it and that is one of the reasons I came into the firm was to build on its success.

"I love entering competitions, I always have and I have enjoyed entering the sausage competitions.

"When I come up with ideas for a new flavoured sausage we test it and make sure it tastes good and the texture is right and it is not too wet.”

Chris oversees a wide range of sausages including:

- Beef & Pork

- Farmhouse pork sage and black pepper sausages;

- Gluten free large pork sausages

- Honey and Mustard sausages 

- Old English sausages (Gold award for Old English sausages)

- Pork and apple sausages

- Pork and garlic sausages

- Pork, turkey & cranberry sausages (2015 Champion of Champions) 

- Traditional large pork sausages (Bpex regional roadshows 2012 - 2013 Pork product excellence award)

- Pork, venison and garlic sausages

- Pork and red onion sausages and Pork and leek sausages.

Chris’s top tip for cooking sausages is to seal the ends as it keeps in more flavour.

More online at timpotterbutchers.co.uk