THIS WEEK IN 1986: '˜Real meat' will be the new craze say Petersfield butchers

Brothers John and James Morgan turned their Lavant Street butchers’ shop over to only naturally produced meat and believed they were setting the trend for the whole of the meat trade.

‘The response from the public has been absolutely tremendous,’ said John.

‘Sales are up by a third and people just keep coming back for more.

‘All our customers tell us that it tastes just like it used to in the old days.

‘Red meat consumption has fallen during the past few years because people do not like all the chemicals and hormones used in food production these days. This is a way to combat that.

‘All butchers will have to go this way in the future.

‘Public demand will see to that,’ he added.

The meat was supplied by two farmers who started the Real Meat Company.

None of their meat or meat products contained any artificial chemicals, and no water injected to ‘bulk-up’ or add weight.

Antibiotics, growth promoters and hormones – usually given routinely to farm animals – were not used.