Passionate about every aspect of meat production would sum up butcher Gary Raeburn well.
The diligence and devotion he has for his craft has already been recognised on several occasions.
Gary, 27, is the current Scottish young butcher of the year, an award he has won twice previously. In 2010, he was a finalist in the UK butcher of the year. He has also featured in the finals of the BBC3 programme Chop Idol.
But he admits to being taken aback by the Royal Northern Agricultural Society accolade sponsored by rural college SRUC.
“Every contest that I’ve taken part in before I’ve had to enter and had to work hard for it. This is something that just came out of the blue. I got a phone call to say I’d won. There’s no doubt it’s a grand award to win,” added Gary, who gives regular butchery demonstrations to show consumers where cuts of meat come from in a carcase.
Gary is the third generation to work in his family butchery business, Forbes Raeburn and Son, in Huntly. It was founded 50 years ago by his late grandfather, Forbes. Gary and his dad, Charles, now run it.
They have overseen something of a revolution in recent months as the shop has undergone a revamp from front to back. The retail area has been dramatically increased, new chill cabinets installed and the back shop, where all the work is done, extended. There’s also a separate facility for preparing cooked meats and haggis.
And that in a town where Asda and Tesco compete head-to-head with local businesses. Supermarkets may well have sounded the death knell of butchers across the country, but the Raeburns said the arrival of the multiples in Huntly had been partially their making in recent years as sales through the shop have increased.
Both Gary and his dad said that the supermarkets had drawn more shoppers to Huntly. They had benefited as many consumers still prefer to buy their meat from a traditional butcher serving up locally produced meat as opposed to pre-packs in multiples which do not provide the same traceability.
“Before the supermarkets opened we built up our wholesale business, increasing the number of shops, hotels, restaurants and other outlets we supplied. It meant our name was more widely known so when the supermarkets opened folk knew we were here and came to find us,” Gary added.
The shop has five staff and Gary takes pride in selling beef from his own cattle through it.
A new sign in the shop displays where the beef comes from. On the day of my visit it proudly boasted: “Gary Raeburn’s Aberdeen-Angus beef and Shorthorn cross Highland beef”. There’s also a separate cabinet displaying rib roasts and hind quarters to show customers the quality of the beef being put through the shop. All are stamped with the code for Rhinds of Elgin, the slaughterer now owned by Northern Ireland-based Dunbia.
Gary added: “The carcase display helps keep a bit of character about the shop and shows we’re still very much a traditional butcher. Folk in the north-east like to know where their beef comes from.”
Gary buys store cattle out of the ring at Thainstone and Huntly marts and aims to finish them at about 300kg carcase weight. He keeps them, as well as the exhibition cattle he has for showing plus a small flock of sheep, at Rowantree, near Aberchirder, the farm run by his other late grandfather, Neil Mutch, the celebrated water diviner.
Gary plays the pipes and is a former member of Strathbogie Pipe Band. He remains a keen member of Strathbogie YFC, and is a keen stock judge and cattle showman. He has for the last three years won the Young Farmers’ overwintered cattle championship held by United Auctions at Huntly. He is also regularly asked to judge cattle contests and will in December, with Alan Healy, the operations director at Coventry-based catering butcher Aubrey Allen, place the haltered cattle classes at the Aberdeen Christmas Classic.
Product innovation remains one of the keys to success for butchers and the Raeburns said they took pride in their offering of different flavoured burgers and sausages. They have also won prizes in recent years for their black pudding and sliced sausage.
Gary received two citations, both of which praised his work and the rare understanding he had of beef production from the hoof to the hook.
One said: “He is a very quiet likeable young man and with his practical experience makes him a great ambassador for the UK, Scotland and the north-east.”
The other added: “With his cheerful and witty personality, Gary has achieved such a lot at a young age. He would be a very worthy candidate for the under 35 RNAS award as he thoroughly deserves recognition for his dedication and enthusiasm in everything he does.”
Gary and this year’s other RNAS award recipients will be presented with their prizes at its annual lunch in the Aberdeen Airport Thistle Hotel on November 1. Secretary Alison Argo is on 01561 340221.