“It was a very hard decision”: Northampton butcher says it’s been a ‘privilege’ as family shop set to close after nearly nine decades

As reported earlier this week, HWJ Pargiter Butchers in Far Cotton will shut its doors for good on Friday, April 17, bringing an end to 88 years of trading.

Owner Mark Pargiter said the decision ultimately came down to the condition of the premises and the cost of investment needed to keep it going.

Speaking to Chronicle and Echo, Mark said: “It’s an old shop and it needs reinvestment, right. We’ve got a full five hygiene rating, everything’s good, but there are things that need renovating and things doing.

“I’ve looked at it and gone, do you know what, I don’t want to throw good money at a place which I don’t think I’ll be able to recoup in my lifetime.

“And that’s basically the main decision behind it. It was a very hard decision.”

Customers shared their sadness at the closure, with many praising the quality and service built up over decades.

Responding, Mark said: “I’m taken aback, they’re very, very nice comments. I can’t put it into words. It’s a privilege. It’s not so much me but my grandfather and father.”

Mark first worked in the shop as a youngster alongside his dad before spending 15 years in local government, later returning to the trade during the foot and mouth crisis in 2000.

The business has been in the family since 1938, when Mark’s grandfather first opened the shop.

Asked if he has any stand out memories of the shop, Mark said: “I never met my grandfather, he died in 1962 and I was born in 67’. But, he wasn’t allowed to join the army, he had a very rare blood group, but he was part of the Home Guard.

“He went around and sorted out all the blackouts and made sure everybody was okay, and he was helping the residents in the area with food rations.

“One week he had absolutely no meat left and he had to produce sausages/

“He made some sausages – you’ve got to remember this is in the 1930s during the war – he made some sausages with pure fat, bread and seasoning because he had no meat left. The next week people came back and said they were the best. Poor chap, he had no meat but he had to produce something to feed the people.”

Revealing his secrets to being a good butcher, Mark said: “I don’t tend to look at price, I tend to look at quality. If local meat is no good I’ll go further until I get the best – that’s the ethos.

“If I’m not sure about it, I just do not sell it. That’s just how we do it. It’s just come down from my father, my grandpa – that’s how we do it.

“Keep the stuff good and put your hours in. That’s the trick to being a good butcher.”

On his family’s reaction to his decision, Mark said: “I’ve got older daughters and a younger son. They’re proud. They know how hard it is, it’s a grafting job, long hours, long days.”

Despite shutting the doors, Mark says he is not stepping away completely. He said: “I’m going to hopefully renovate this place. And, on a private basis, for a few special customers I’ll carry on making burgers and sausages. I’m going to do some butchery workshops too. I’ve got plenty to do!”