FROM THE SIDELINES
hen W G Adam’s butcher shop
was put up for sale in 1958, the
shop’s manager at the time, John
Saunderson, decided to take the plunge
and buy the Leven Street property.
It was then that John Saunderson Family
Butchers was born, and since then, four
generations of Saundersons have served
the Edinburgh community, providing the
capital’s inhabitants with the finest quality
beef, lamb, pork and chicken for over 60
years.
Now, located in Tollcross, the family-
run butcher shop has grown to employ
eight members of friendly staff, each
knowledgeable about the variety of cuts
of meat on offer, and keen to share their
own favourite meat dishes and cooking
tips.
Similarly, the butchers has expanded its
offering over the years, and the shop
currently manufactures their own pies,
sausages, puddings and cooked meats
in-house.
These award-winning premium products
are available to Saunderson customers
alongside their significant range of value-
added products like
stir-fry cuts, marinated meats, and kebabs,
as well as their meat packs, which offer
customers the chance to buy specific cuts
of meat at a discounted rate.
What’s more, the long-standing fixture of
the South Edinburgh meat market have
a weekly promotion called ‘Meat of theWeek’, where the butcher shop slashes
their prices on a different cut of meat each
week so as to encourage their customers
to experiment with their cooking, and try
the different cuts of meat that the shop
has to offer.
A business that values strong, long-
lasting relationships, Saunderson Family
Butchers have sourced their beef, lamb
and pork from the same group of Scottish
farms based in the borders for a number
of years. This allows the butchers to
guarantee a consistency in quality, and
that their products are sourced fromfarms who operate responsibly and with a
concern for animal welfare. Although it is
not as locally sourced, the shop’s chicken
comes from an equally responsible farm in
the north of England.
On the continued success of the
business, current owner and grandson
of the original owner, John told SCRUM:
“Saunderson’s have been serving the
Edinburgh community with the finest
quality Scotch beef, Scotch lamb, specially
selected pork and poultry since my
grandfather bought the premises all those
years ago.JOHN SAUNDERSON FAMILY
BUTCHERS STILL LEADING THE WAY
IN EDINBURGH’S MEAT MARKET
W
86 • WWW.SCRUMMAGAZINE.COM • ISSUE 116 2019RUGBY WORLD CUP - SCOTLAND PREVIEW