Butcher by Nature

Posted on May 25, 2011 by TOFoodReviews Staff in Runnymede Village

5 stars

- My chicken lived a healthy, happy life. She was lovingly cared for, allowed to roam the yard, and fed fresh corn and barley. How do I know? The other day I was going to my neighbourhood grocery store to buy a whole chicken. You know the type of bird I mean. It sits in those refrigerated, glass boxes at the back of the store; the only indication it was ever a chicken at all is the familiar sight of wings and breast meat. As its lifeless body sits there, I can’t ever imagine this thing having feathers, breathing, living. Truth be told, buying that chicken is a mostly unceremonious experience that people rarely give a second thought to.

But something spectacular happened to me that day. I didn’t buy that chicken; I didn’t even get to the grocery store. On my way there, I noticed the Butcher by Nature storefront, and I felt compelled to check it out and see what all this ‘By Nature’ business was all about.

Butcher by Nature gives life to that lifeless chicken. Much like purchasing pedigree, the butcher and owner, Frank, knew all about my chicken and all the other chickens he was selling for that matter. He knew the farmers personally, and he knew that they were passionate about raising animals. He spoke proudly about the pesticide-free and natural-focused environment the farmers raised their livestock in. Clearly, this is a different kind of eating.

The shop is fairly small, but truly cozy, and the store is classic with more butchery area than retail shop. The retail area has shelves lined with locally-sourced dry products, like jams and honey, and fridges lined with locally-sourced meat products, like duck and eggs. Butcher by Nature also has a passionate, knowledgeable owner. Actually, forget that last bit; calling Frank knowledgeable is an understatement. The art and science of butchery is seemingly ingrained in his bones. Much like those chicken’s proud lineage, Frank was raised to do butchery.

Pesticide-free, hormone-void, locally-sourced meats, combined with an experienced owner and a pleasant store-front is what Butcher by Nature is all about. And of course, they’re not limited to just chickens. They carry quite a large variety of meat including duck, venison, pork, and beef; all of it butchered and prepared in a bunch of different ways.

Fear not. Eating all this organic natural stuff isn’t for just the rich. In fact, most of the products at Butcher by Nature are actually reasonably priced. In most cases, you can expect to pay just a few bucks more than you would at the neighbourhood grocery store. That, combined with the absolute passion surrounding what they carry makes it an easy choice for meat. Even if you’re not in the area, Butcher by Nature is worth the trip.

So, if you think that chickens, or most other animals for that matter, magically end up in refrigerated, glass boxes at the back of a grocery store, then you owe it to yourself to check out Butcher by Nature because when it comes to meat, it’s all about where it comes from.

- Andre

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