Christmas dinner is one of the highlights of the festive season, but getting everything organised can be another matter. Stalbridge’s Else Family Butchers is helping local households take some of the work out of the preparations.
Christmas is the busiest time of year at Else Family Butchers, where Julian and Heidi Else are already preparing for another festive rush of turkey orders, roasting joints and, of course, plenty of pigs in blankets. The family has been serving the town from its High Street shop since 1994, when Julian’s father Roger first opened the doors. Julian learned his trade working alongside his dad, and he and Heidi have now been running the business for more than 15 years.
Local sourcing remains central to the shop’s approach, with Christmas poultry and geese coming from suppliers within five miles of Stalbridge. Alongside the traditional turkey crowns and gammon joints, customers can choose from dry-aged beef and pork, free-range chickens and ducks, and a wide selection of homemade sausages, including gluten-free varieties.
The shop’s dry-ageing cabinet has become something of a speciality. Julian is particularly enthusiastic about the flavour and tenderness it brings to the meat, including pork, which he says produces exceptional crackling.
The popular Else Christmas hamper is back for 2026. Feeding four people for £75, it includes a boneless turkey crown, gammon joint, beef topside, homemade pork sausage meat, eight pigs in blankets and gourmet stuffing. Just a £5 deposit is needed to reserve one.
The delicatessen counter will also be stocked for Christmas, with regional cheeses, chutneys, biscuits and traditional stuffings.
And if you’re ever uncertain about quantities, cuts or cooking times, there’s always someone behind the counter who knows their meat. As Julian told Dorset Life last Christmas: ‘We’re always happy to advise and help with what would work for you, and on cooking instructions and ideas. We’re here to help everybody. We’re friendly!’
Else Family Butchers, High Street, Stalbridge. Call 01963 362276 or elsefamilybutchers.co.uk
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