News and Awards

WINNERS OF SUSSEX BUTCHER OF THE YEAR 2007/08 and 2008/09

A TRADITIONAL butchers in Old Town has been crowned best in the county for the second year running.

Staff from Albert Parade’s J Heath and Son were delighted to receive butcher of the year at the Sussex Food and Drink Awards and attended an awards ceremony in Uckfield recently.

Regular customers nominated the family business which has been trading in Eastbourne for more than 25 years.
Nigel Heath, who took over from his father Clifford around five years ago, said, “We really didn’t expect to win it again so we were really pleased... It is a great achievement and it is nice to have a pat on the back every now and then after our hard work."

Members of the award-winning J. Heath team.

“I would like to thank our customers because we wouldn’t have won without them and I would also like to thank my staff... The suppliers who supply us with the quality produce also deserve a pat on the back because we couldn’t have done it without their excellent meat.”

All of J Heath and Sons’ meat is sourced from local farms and Nigel says he thinks that is part of their success.

Carefully selected suppliers include Organic Lamb from Martin Hole in Hankham, pure bred Sussex beef from Mike Hickman and pork from Tottingworth Farm in Heathfield.

“Customers are conscious of what they are buying and like to know where their meat is coming from.”

The Sussex Food and Drink Awards have been running for three years. Chairman of the judges and former editor of The Grocer magazine, Clive Beddall OBE, made a speech at the ceremony and said, “The growing success of these awards defies the gloom merchants who last year predicted that the credit crunch would sound the death knell for thousands of local producers across the United Kingdom.

Proud winners at the Sussex Food & Drink Awards