Meet the Little Butcher gaining a big following in Formby

It might be called The Little Butcher, but this cute, small shop nestled in a bustling row of businesses is gaining a big reputation.

Some customers travel more than an hour for the speciality dry aged steak, scotch eggs and locally produced sausage rolls, as well as a host of other mouth-watering meats.

Butcher Rob Wade set up shop in Formby just over two years ago. Despite the cost-of-living crisis and opening just after the covid pandemic, he has established his business and gained a loyal following.

Rob is so busy he recently had to put out an apology on social media to customers who might have to wait to be served longer than usual and he is about to take on an extra member of staff to meet the demand.

“I feel like I have been here forever,” the cheerful butcher said. “Considering what was happening when we opened, and what has happened since, we have been amazed at how well things have gone.

“We have built up a core of loyal customers and not just locally, we have people travelling more than an hour to come here. We find people love to come into the shop to see what we have, but we also get orders on Instagram for people to come and collect.

“I am passionate about good service and I like to ensure all our customers have a good experience. I expect that when I go to a restaurant for example, so I am always keen to make sure people get good service here.”

Everything in The Little Butcher is prepared and served with love and attention but Rob admits his passion is the dry aged steak.

He has a special fridge for the process and loves this part of his work. And it shows.

“The fridge provides a controlled atmosphere where the meat can mature. It allows the flavour to develop and ensure it is the best,” Rob explained.

The steak has proved very popular with the Formby customers but of course summer means BBQ season and he also has a host of other perfect meats to cook over the coals.

However, the British weather doesn’t always play ball so a lot of careful pre-planning is required during the summer months.

Rob laughed: “I am obsessed with weather apps. I look at about three and am always planning ahead at this time of the year. If I know it is going to be sunny I need to make sure I have the best sausages, burgers and kebabs available. The kebabs are very popular for BBQs.”

One of his other best sellers is the Shanghai stir fry. Rod said: “It is popular at the moment. We only use steak in it, so it’s a really good quality stir fry and people really like it.”

Customers have also been enjoying sausage rolls, produced in Formby by another small business. 

And what about that name? People often wonder why the shop is called The Little Butcher.

“I thought about a few names when we were opening but let’s face it, I am not the tallest person and it’s a small shop so The Little Butcher seemed perfect,” he laughed.

“I like the fact we are a small, local butcher. I used to have a bigger business, but this is really good. It is what we are, The Little Butcher.”

With that, he has to break the news to a customer that they have sold out of scotch eggs unfortunately. But don’t worry – they will be back soon.

You can find The Little Butcher at 47 Piercefield Road, Formby. Open Tuesday – Saturday. Find them on Instagram.

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