One of Shropshire's oldest butchers to bring back delivery service

AJ Embrey Butchers was launched by Alfred James Embrey in 1904, delivering meat directly from his father's farm to customers' doorsteps by pony and trap.

Now a change in shopping habits has allowed Alfred's grandson David Embrey and his grandson-in-law Ian Stokes, based in Shrewsbury Market Hall, to resurrect the company's old delivery service as more people move away from the supermarkets to shop fresh from small independent traders.

At its height the company, which also owned a farm and a butchers shop in Nesscliffe, ran a fleet of three delivery vehicles but was forced to abandon the service in 1980 due to the loss of customers to expanding supermarket chains.

"Deliveries are now back in favour. Even the supermarkets are doing them. When one of our regular customers couldn't get in to buy her usual order we delivered it to her home. We've definitely noticed an increase in customers in the last couple of years and it got us thinking about starting up our delivery service again," said David.

Alfred's father was a tenant farmer and miller living at Fitz Mill, Montford Bridge, near Shrewsbury, when his enterprising teenage son developed the idea of borrowing a pony and trap and delivering his father's farm-reared meat directly to customers.

Landowner Sir Offley Wakeman was so impressed by the young man's enterprising scheme that he had a little butchers shop built for him on his estate at Yeaton Peverey.

By 1917 Alfred had earned enough money to buy his own farm, Heath Farm at Nesscliffe, where he reared cattle and pigs and built his own butchers shop and a slaughter house.

He continued the home delivery service to customers in and around Nesscliffe, Montford Bridge and Knockin and began selling at the old Victorian Shrewsbury Market Hall one day a week. This eventually grew to four days a week.

When Alfred died in 1935, in his late 50s, his sons took over the business, Charles running the farm and Alfred James junior running the butchers shop and market stall.

When the old market hall was pulled down, AJ Embrey moved into the current building which opened in 1965. It has remained ever since – the only market trader from the old market to still be operating there today.

AJ Embrey stopped its customer deliveries in 1980 and the Nesscliffe shop closed in the early 1990s.

David took over when Alfred James junior retired in 1975 and the business passed to David's brother-in-law, Ian, 18 months ago when David turned 65.

But David has no plans to retire fully just yet. He still works for AJ Embrey two days a week.

"We used to have 500 customers on a Friday 20 years ago. Now we get 500 a week, but business is on the up," he said.

Ian has invested in a brand new delivery van and had it emblazoned with the company's smart new livery.