A Little Bit Of History
Founded in 1985, by professional butcher Keith Crump and wife Jean (pic. right), and continued today by their son Andy, we are a family butcher who know one thing above all else – our customers are number one!
No other butcher strives harder to be the best traditional butcher in the Swindon area and the quality and excellence of our meats mean our customers keep coming back!
Thirty years ago Keith and Jean Crump took a detour on their way home to Oxfordshire. The couple, who had spent months scouring Devon and Cornwall in vain for the perfect village shop to house their family butcher's, fancied a brief break from the road. Driving down Wootton Bassett High Street a 'for sale' sign caught their attention.
The town centre has changed beyond recognition since that fateful day in 1985 but despite the crushing march of supermarket giants, K&EJ Crump & Son remains a welcome constant for legions of loyal customers.
“Obviously it was fate” says Andy Crump, 49, who took over the family business when his late father Keith retired in 1999.
“I came back in 1988 and that's where I've been ever since.” says Andy, pictured right alongside mum and dad. “My dad retired in 1999. I was 34 and I was thrown in at the deep end. It was a big challenge. My dad had an aura about him. Everybody loved mum and dad.”
“Butchering has had its testing moments. It's not the easiest profession to be in. I can be here at 4am, get the window displays ready, and start prepping for the day. It's quite long hours. At least 65 per cent of the work is done behind the scenes. Everything is homemade. We make the sausages on Wednesdays and Fridays and it takes three people four hours to make 750lb of sausages. We have 26 kinds at any one time on display. If I didn't enjoy it I wouldn't still be in the game.”
K&EJ Crump & Son counts six full-time staff including Andy and four part-time employees. Since its inception, the business has won 14 gold and eight silver medals.
The Bassett Banger 'dreamt up' by Keith remains a firm favourite in the town. The store sells ten times as many as any other variety.
Over the last 30 years, the going has been tough for independent shopkeepers on the nation's High Streets. Contending with large supermarkets has proven challenging at the best of times for the Crumps but the business continues to thrive.
“Over the years there has been a massive decline in independent butchers. And our actual trade pattern has changed dramatically but we go with the flow. You always get competition from super-markets. You've only got to look at the High Streets, so many shops are closed, it's frightening. But we are supplying something different from supermarkets – we have the quality. Our goal is to continue to do what we're doing, improve and increase trade. There is a place for shops like ours on the High Street. That's what has stood us in good stead for 30 years.”
“Thank you to all our loyal customers both past and present” Andy Crump