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.”
Simon and Andrew ran the butchery at Hinchliffe’s from 1996 and started their own farm shop at Harden Road Farm, Bolster Moor last year.
They have managed to save the jobs of 16 of the 22 staff they employed before the fire. The entire operation is now based at Bolster Moor.
Simon added: “Obviously, the fire had a devastating impact. There’s nothing we can do there at the moment and we don’t know what the future holds.
“We hope to be able to return to the Holme Valley at some point.
“For the time being we are just trying to get on with things here. Everyone has been so supportive.”
