Joe Willoughby opens Butcher Joe’s on Lymington Road in Highcliffe, after working with top chefs such as Marcus Wareing, Phil Howard and Callum Franklin

INSPIRED by his past work with top celebrity chefs, Joe Willoughby is opening his first butcher’s shop in Highcliffe today (Tuesday).

Believing there should be a butchery on every high street, Joe said he is offering the “best in traditional British butchery” at his new Lymington Road premises Butcher Joe’s.

With experience preparing meat for London-based chefs including Marcus Wareing, Phil Howard and Callum Franklin, Joe said: “Over the course of my 16 years in the trade I’ve been lucky enough to work alongside some of the world’s most talented butchers.

“That experience has inspired me to open my own butcher’s shop and put my own ideas into practice.

“The art of butchery is an under-appreciated skill and we’ve had to make many changes to keep up with the times, adding some contemporary finesse to the old, traditional butcher’s craft.”

Offering locally sourced meat from Southampton-based Owton’s, Butcher Joe’s will be selling “classic cuts alongside some more modern twists” with weekly specials and “meals made easy” that use seasonal fruit and vegetables.

In recognition of his customers’ busy lives, Joe will stay open an extra hour on Thursdays so people can pop in on their way home from work.

His award-winning sausages and burgers are made on-site using local ingredients: “I believe it’s essential to support the farming industry in and around the surrounding area, whether small, independent farmers, or larger family-run farms with many regenerative farming traditions.

“I’m determined to keep the farm-to-fork mileage to a minimum and am a firm believer in our customers knowing exactly where and how our produce is reared.”

Joe’s interest in butchery began at 14 working for Hunt’s family butchers in Gillingham before taking his first full-time job at the award-winning Udder Farm Shop, also in north Dorset.

He then moved to London to develop his skills in a “more fast-paced environment”, working for the well-known Ginger Pig butchers before moving on to the world-renowned independent butcher’s shop HG Walter where he dealt with some of the capital’s top restaurants including La Trompette, Kricket and Patty and Bun, as well as the Rosewood Hotel.

After moving back south to open his own business, Joe said: “As well as the skills and passion it takes to be a butcher, over the years I’ve also learned a great deal about what it takes to make a butcher’s shop work.

“You need great customer service and a head for business, but location is key and 358 Lymington Road ticks all the boxes – it has been a butcher’s for well over 30 years and we’re committed to embracing that heritage by creating a nostalgic shopping experience that’s right at home in the 21st century.

“While renovating we came across some really beautiful vintage tiles – now it’s up to us to honour that history and take it forward.”