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A Piece of History
There
has been a butcher's shop on the same premises in Lower
Road, Cookham Rise since 1888. Ged Cowdery took over from Keith Macey in early 2011 and is carrying on Keith's fine tradition of providing first-class organic meat and poultry that is a cut above the rest. Macey's
Butchers has appeared in various newspapers and magazines
and on television, as well as winning numerous awards
in the industry. |
"Mr Shackle went
to Holland in a Barge to see the King"
At the
turn of the nineteenth century the butcher's store,
a grocers, a laundry and a boot-mender's shop stood
solitary among open fields; four converted cottages
that began to find business among the smattering of
cottages and new villas springing up in Cookham Dean
and Cookham village. Local children played in
the dusty road and sang a ditty: "Mr Shackle went
to Holland in a Barge to see the King".
Mr Shackle was the laundryman; Mr Holland the grocer; Mr
Barge the butcher; and Mr King the boot mender. |
Clean Cuts
Keith
Macey was a butcher for over forty years. He
witnessed the downturn in animal care and meat quality
when he started his business, and felt that these two
issues were inextricably linked. On his arrival
in rural Cookham in 1988, a century after the founding
of the butcher's shop by Mr Barge, Keith made it his
ambition to source his supplies from farms where animal
welfare was a first priority and animal feeds were
free of nitrates and other unnatural chemicals. He
set out to be
"green" when green was not only unfashionable
but virtually unknown. Today we understand much more
about what we eat but we don't always have the opportunity
to enjoy meats free of additives such as Mr Barge took
for granted. Ged Cowdery is carrying on the preservation of the old traditions, and in addition to supplying
additive-free organic meats he has introduced gluten-free
and low-sodium products to cater for contemporary market
demand. |
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More than Just Meat
But
there's more to Macey's than fine organic meat and
poultry. Ged Cowdery presents meat in new and different ways, matching
marinades and subtle sauces to introduce a wide range
of gourmet foods. His recipes have appeared in
magazines. The rich and famous flock to Macey's from
near and far, brought by word of mouth. |
Service with a Smile
Today,
Ged Cowdery's shop stands proud in a bustling community,
and he maintains his high-quality service and always
has a friendly smile to welcome customers. "People
don't just come in for food; they pop in for a chat
or a bit of advice," he says. "It's
always a pleasure to help." Today, Ged
has a number of assistants who make sure that everything
is packaged perfectly and delivered on time. |
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Visit Cookham
Cookham
is a charming old-world village in the heart of Berkshire,
on the Thames between Maidenhead and Marlow. It
is the birthplace of Sir Stanley Spencer (1891-1959,
a renowned British Artist and member of the Royal Academy.
You might want to visit the Stanley Spencer Gallery, which
is a small but fascinating gallery devoted to the artist.
There are fine restaurants and pubs where you can dine
out in style, and of course the River Thames, which has been described as "liquid history". |
