Butchers' 'bible' with secret recipes survived Hinchliffe's Farm Shop blaze

Jul 29 2010 by Sam Casey, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Butchers recipe book saved from Hinchliffe's Farm Shop fire - Simon Haigh and Andrew Whitwam of Bolster Moor Farm Shop with recipe book.

A BUTCHERS’ ‘Bible’, packed with award-winning recipes, was one of the few things rescued from the devastating Hinchliffe’s Farm blaze.

The book, belonging to meat merchants Simon Haigh and Andrew Whitwam, was locked away in a safe at the butchery they ran at the Netherton Moor Road site.

The business partners lost tens of thousands of pounds worth of equipment – and about 30 treasured trophies picked up at a host of regional and national competitions – when the farm was wrecked by fire on July 5.

But they were desperate to save the safe, which contained cash as well as the invaluable collection of cooking instructions.

Simon said: “It’s our Bible really, containing recipes that we have developed over several years.

“They are unique to us, so obviously they mean a lot.”

The book contains the secrets to a catalogue of sausage and pork pie products, including the pork, mature cheddar and chive sausage, which landed them the coveted sausage-makers’ Champion of Champions title in 2006.

“One of the reasons it was in the safe in the first place was that we didn’t want anyone copying it,” Simon said.

“It still forms the basis for a lot of what we do.”