A Crewe butcher is celebrating 10 years at the helm of his family business, improving trade 20-fold since taking the reigns.

Stuart Palin, 34, marks a decade of Stuart Palin Quality Butchers, West Street, on Saturday 3 October, after taking over the business in 2016.

The West End shop was previously known as Alan Cornes Butchers, which operated from 2004 until 2016, and was Broomhall's Butchers before that.

Stuart eventually bought the property and business from stepdad Alan (now of Oxtail & Trotter, Audlem) after his parents divorced.

The owner told Nub News: "It's crazy. It feels like it's only been about four or five years. I work hard every day, a minimum of 10 or 11 hours a day, so it has really flown by.

"It was originally my stepdad's shop, Alan Cornes Butchers. They got divorced about 10 years ago.

"I always wanted to step forward with it being a family business anyway, so I bit the bullet and bought the property and the business off him.

"I actually started here pot washing on Saturdays when I was 11. I worked here through college at 16, went full time at 18, and spent my late teens and early twenties learning the trade. Now I'm 34, and I've been running it for 10 years."

Since taking over, Stuart has given the traditional butcher's shop a modern twist, with ready meals, oven ready dishes, fresh kebabs, burgers and hot baguettes now among the range.

The business also supplies local customers including the growing Prep-D in Crewe and The Leopard in Nantwich.

Stuart said: "It's all good, local produce, but we've brought a more modern twist to it. We offer lots of different flavours, vibrant displays, and ready made meals like lasagnes and oven ready dishes.

"People are moving away from the traditional 'meat and two veg' dinner, they don't necessarily want to chop up a pork chop at night, so we try to reinvent things and keep it fresh.

"I've recently invested in a new oven, so I'm getting rid of the old one and changing the layout a bit.

"We've started doing hot baguettes like lamb and mint and brisket, cheddar and jalapeno.

"Up until now, I've only been using mini slow cookers, but the new equipment is getting fitted and plumbed in this weekend. Next week, we'll start doing breakfast baps on the go as well."

Stuart Palin Butchers now has eight staff, with Stuart recently taking on a new apprentice.

The Crewe resident said his growing team has helped the business continue to develop, while the new equipment will allow the shop to expand its hot food offering.

The shop's bestsellers change with the seasons, with burgers proving particularly popular during summer.

Stuart puts his own spin on them, including jalapeño, cheddar and chorizo burgers and dirty burgers with bone marrow.

He also runs weekly offers on Facebook and Instagram, with fillet steak deals, ready meals and gammon among the promotions.

Midweek options include kebabs and flavoured potatoes, providing customers with a convenient alternative to a takeaway.

Stuart added: "A massive thank you to everyone for their support over the last 10 years. It's been tough, especially during COVID-19, though ironically, that was a very busy period for butchers.

"People couldn't go to restaurants or easily get into supermarkets, and the weather was hot, so everyone was buying barbecue food.

"Everyone's support, including my friends who helped in the early stages, has meant everything.

"When I bought the business, it was losing money, but we've grown the revenue about 20 times over since taking over 10 years ago.

"I want to thank every single customer, and hopefully we can keep making it bigger and better."

Stuart Palin Butchers is open 7am to 5pm (Monday to Friday) and 7am to 2pm (Saturday).

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The next draw takes place on Thursday 8 October. Buy a ticket for just £2.