We welcomed our latest member to Taste Waterford recently.
Jon Toy, a high-welfare butcher, is currently establishing a new business championing whole carcass butchery covering Waterford and the South-East.
Our project manager Richard Povey met with him in January. Here’s his story…
The word ‘passionate’ can be overused.
But having met with Jon on an overcast day in Dungarvan – it’s fair to say that didn’t dampen his passion, and is a word justified when describing him.
From the moment we met, his enthusiasm for the craft of butchery, and sharing his skills to ensure respect for the animal, taste, and provenance, is inspiring.
He started out in butchery at 24 in a sales role, before being mentored by ‘two great guys’ from London as Jon enthused. It was after several management positions he launched his first butcher’s shop, Meat Jon, during 2019 in Lewisham, London, which he still operates.
During 2024, Jon moved to Waterford with his young family, as Jon’s wife is from Waterford. They appreciated the rich food and drink sector in Co. Waterford, and the quality of life the county brings, so are now firmly ensconced in the area and keen to establish themselves.
Jon said: “The scope of producers, makers, and growers in the area is exceptional. And so is the hospitality sector – it’s exciting to see so many people like myself keen to promote quality food, where it’s from, and getting the best flavour from it.”
In the UK, Jon managed to carve out a loyal base of customers from the local area and beyond – with people impressed by the meat he supplied, and also the range of demos and classes he offered – under the ‘Butchers Shop’ brand.
Jon explained: “The pandemic saw people eating at home more, and they wanted to cook with better quality ingredients – so our delivery service really took off.
“And when people could venture out, we ran ‘food-over-fire’ classes to show how to butcher meat, different types of cut, and how best to cook it. We’d have a three-course meal at the end – the experience of people coming together was exciting.”
It’s this model that Jon plans to replicate in Waterford with his new ‘Prime & Pasture’ brand, along with training staff in retail environments, and workshops on developing butchery skills – to bring a culture of using the whole animal, cost-effectiveness, and care for the environment.
He’ll provide meat from locally sourced, native breeds – including beef, pork, lamb and chicken.
All his meat will be from whole carcass – but what does this mean, and the benefits?
Jon will buy in whole carcasses, rather than individual cuts of meat that might be more ‘known’ amongst customers.
However, by buying in this way, Jon can create much less waste, offer lesser-known cuts, and highlight flavour.
Cost is always a factor, particularly in the current climate. And whilst Jon isn’t saying his meat is cheaper than supermarkets, there are other benefits. He explained: “By using less meat, but better quality – your diet is healthy, and you can still eat on a budget. It’s kinder to the environment too, by using all parts of the animal, like offal and bones, rather just the choice cuts.”
And as you can imagine – Jon is first in line to talk about meat. So, he’s already organising demos – with interest this year from food festivals and event hosts.
As we were leaving our meeting, Jon received a call from another new contact keen to meet with him and discuss a collaboration. I have a feeling his passion will undoubtedly prove to his benefit building a successful butchery business in Waterford.
More info: Instagram: @meatjon