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A Butcher’s Shop Returns To Guildford Town Centre
Published on: 24 Jan, 2014
Updated on: 24 Jan, 2014
By Maria Rayner
If you take the short cut through Jeffries’ Passage between High Street and North Street you may have noticed a smart, tiled shop taking shape.
The Joint will be the first permanent independent butcher’s shop in Guildford town centre for some years.
The name etched on the glass reads ‘The Joint’, and it’s not another coffee shop, even of the Amsterdam variety! By the end of January this will be Guildford’s newest butcher.
Tayler Davis, 22, a fifth-generation butcher who trained at Rawlings, Cranleigh, and Butchers Hall in Forest Green, has long dreamed of opening his own shop in the centre of Guildford.
“My real passion is in great quality local meat and charcuterie. Having grown up in Guildford, I recognised the need for a reliable meat source in the town,” said Tayler
The shop will be divided with fresh meat at one end and a delicatessen counter at the other. Tayler has a smoker to produce his own smoked meats and his cousin, a trained chef, will advise him on the cooked foods.
The young butcher added: “We are a family-owned business. My mum, Jane, is the shop manager who controls the local supply of cheese and wines.”
The Find a Butcher website lists only one other permanent butcher in Guildford town – the one trading as Ray Rowley in Aldershot Road. This is the same number as Farncombe, Godalming and Milford. The Joint will be the only specialist butcher in Guildford town centre. There are other independent butchers in villages within the borough.
Can you remember the last time there was a specialist butcher’s shop in Guildford’s main shopping area? What other specialist shops should be represented in the town? How far do you travel for cuts of meat that perhaps the supermarkets don’t stock? Please leave a reply in the box below.
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sean jenkinson
January 25, 2014 at 8:12 am
It is really good to see a butchers return to Guildford town centre, I hope that the people of Guildford will use this shop as myself and my wife will, Good luck to Tayler Davis and his family.
Lisa Kearney
April 21, 2015 at 11:37 am
This joint has closed down – what happened – where are they?
Help.
Paul David
May 4, 2015 at 6:04 pm
No one supported them! Same old story…
Andrew Backhurst
January 25, 2014 at 2:31 pm
For anyone who still uses the supermarkets for their meat, take a trip to your local butcher and you will be suprised to find that the meat they recieve is not only better quality, but cheaper with no added water.
Nick Wall
January 27, 2014 at 10:52 am
Just what Guildford is missing. Best of luck Tayler, I will be in to try the meat out
Bernard Arthur
January 30, 2014 at 8:14 pm
Best of luck Tayler this is just what Guildford needs, a family run local butchers shop. The good citizens of Guildford are in for a treat.
pauline surrey
January 28, 2014 at 3:56 pm
Godalming has recently acquired a super greengrocer. That would be good.
phil mitchell
February 1, 2014 at 11:01 am
The last butchers shop was in swan lane, by the name of Andrew Charles. Before that there were two in North street, both branches of Bernards. Very tradition and authentic. Sawdust on the red tile floor, white wall tiles throughout, big old butchers blocks, seasonal game hanging from the awnings and any cut of meat you could think of, and some you’ll have never heard of!
I try to buy as much as I can from the market, but a permanent shop is surely a step back to having a proper High Street.
I wish Tayler the best of luck with this venture. Who knows, we may get a wet fish shop back from the coffee giants one day!
Anyone remember the smell of roasting coffee beans from Coffee Importers? Magical!
Philip de Lacy White
August 25, 2014 at 10:09 pm
I certainly do remember the smell of roasting coffee at Importers and the two Bernard’s in North Street – and Withey’s the fishmongers and Kid’s delicatesen (almost next to Bernard’s at the top end of North Street).
I was brought up in Guildford and though I now live in Brazil, I always make a special trip back. I sometimes think Guildford has become too chique for its own good – not enough ‘ordinary’ shops. Can you believe it, I keep an old ‘Messenger’s’ plastic bag as a souvenir.
carole@ihug.co.nz
February 3, 2015 at 11:09 am
Withey’s the Fishmongers Guildford was started by my grandfathers uncle Fred! He talked of him often. I live in New Zealand and would love to know if any Witheys still live in Guildford.
Atika Rhioui
February 10, 2014 at 9:56 am
Best of luck to Tayler & Jane!!
Just what Guildford needs! x
Melissa Davis
February 14, 2014 at 3:42 pm
They have now opened and I popped in on Tuesday, served by a jolly lady. The service was great! The sausages I bought were stunning and very competitively priced!
Keep it coming. I will be certainly returning.
Sarah Westall
February 17, 2014 at 2:24 pm
What a treat to have this family friendly service in Guildford. The produce is all locally sourced and you can taste the quality of the meats. Good luck to the Davis family!
Ros McMillan
February 18, 2014 at 3:51 pm
Our first purchase was a super shoulder of lamb and two dozen pork and herb sausages (made on the premises, of course). There were many appreciative comments from family as they wolfed down the lot over the weekend. The delicatessen has delicious goodies, too. The cheese we bought also disappeared at great speed. Tayler and his team are a helpful and friendly bunch and we wish them every success.
Ken & Elsie Mooney
February 22, 2014 at 3:44 pm
We are Tayler’s grandparents and when he said he was opening a butcher’s shop we raised an eyebrow. Now he has opened his shop we take our hat off to him – he has worked hard and done a wonderful job helped by his Mum. We’re proud of you Tayler.
stephen prince
March 5, 2014 at 3:39 pm
I am a local butcher from Horsell village and I popped in to wish Tayler and his family all the best with his great looking butchers.
Its great to see another young butcher following his dream as I did many years ago.
GOOD LUCK.
E Lane Owen
March 14, 2014 at 11:57 pm
Great to see another Davis family venture. Give my fondest regards to Scott for me.
David Hastings
March 21, 2014 at 2:39 pm
Rump steak excellent thank you. Fresh meat should be the watchword.
Having reluctantly paid £83 for a 14lb Christmas turkey in the market, I am more than willing to help a new venture.
However, I am still unable to find sausages that are as I remember as a schoolboy.
I recently travelled to Great Bookham in search of their prizewinning gold medal winners and thought them mediocre.
Now I suppose I will have to go to Harrod’s, not that I mind if they fit the bill.
I await the butcher’s bike and free local delivery.
Oh and a computer on site for those internet orders for the housebound!
[Ed: Try a visit to Ray Rowley butchers in Aldershot Road, Westborough. If you can describe the bangers you are after, owners Clive and John may well be able to come up with something that matches.]
Frances Allen
April 14, 2014 at 10:04 pm
Do you supply Large chickens or turkeys, big enough for 15 people? (in time for Easter)
Leigh March
April 25, 2014 at 2:20 am
So amazing to have a family run butchers in town, tried many things so far everything has been fabulous. And the whole family are so friendly.
Lisa Kearney
August 1, 2014 at 4:39 pm
Have tried their ribeye steaks – absolutely superb – will be returning for more – well done to all concerned – all we need now is a first class fishermongers in Guildford town centre.
Bob Hind
September 13, 2014 at 4:24 am
I started in Bernards on the corner of Swan lane in 1972 and the most fantastic shop I ever worked in. It was on three levels and meant running up and down three flights of stairs all day. Fit or what?
At that time there were five butchers in North Street, if you count the Co-op. From Swan Lane there was: Bernard’s, then one I have forgot with a German manager, Baxters, Matthews and Bernard’s ‘top’ shop, which I managed for a while.
Across the road was the Co-op. In the High Street, at the bottom, there was West’s butchers, as well.
Bob Hind
October 8, 2014 at 2:25 pm
A joke we used to play on customers was when they came in the shop and said they had shopped at the other branch at the top of North Street.
‘Oh really. That is not the same company though. It is pronounced B’nar as in French. Our guv’nor is trying to get the name spelt different.’
The look of confusion on the customers face was a picture.
Butchers will be butchers.