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Lewis of Sunningdale have been supplying the finest meat and gourmet food for well over 75 years and our reputation, throughout the years, remains unsurpassed. By selecting only the finest meat, which we traditionally mature for full flavour and tenderness, and through our skilled British and Continental butchery techniques, we are able to ensure the highest of standards are maintained.
This quality vision was determined by the organisation's founding fathers, William Lewis, who started the business in 1931 and Colin Lewis, who can still be seen cracking the whip in our highly successful 'sister' shop, Lewis of Ascot. Nigel Lewis, Colin's son had always loved the 'front of office' nature of the shop and was delighted when in 2003 he took ownership of the prestigious Sunningdale branch.
Building upon the foundations laid by William, Nigel, a 'driven' character if ever there was one, has succeeded in developing the business to even greater heights, garnering not only a local but national reputation as the butcher of choice within the region. Lewis of Sunningdale is the place to visit for the very best in fine home dining, where you can rely on the highest quality produce sourced ethically and humanely from local farmers who truly care about the animals they raise.
'Loyal to the Local' is Lewis of Sunningdale's guiding philosophy and we make every effort to source locally, close to home. Our strong and long-term local relationships means that we're not only able to keep an eye on the quality within the all important 'supply chain' but that we're able to minimise the 'food/road miles' behind our meat. A green and environmentally aware butcher? Who'd have thought it!
But don't just take our word for this, pop in for an early morning cuppa and meet some of our suppliers on their deliveries or chat to our long-standing customers and clients, who'll invariably also be around. Everyone comes back time and time again to Lewis of Sunningdale so we must be doing something right and we believe it's the appreciation of this honest and refreshing philosophy - great food, good advice and a touch of humour.
OK, we're not the cheapest of butchers! There, it's out now and I've got it off my chest. But having said that, we don't aim to be. We do believe in the old edict that, in certain walks of life, you do get what you pay for and in our opinion there is nothing more important than the food we put in our, and our family's bellies. The embodiment of this is that everyone at Lewis of Sunningdale shares a passion for supplying the finest-tasting produce to our customers, and all our quality meats and gourmet foods are covered by our no-quibble guarantee - if you've tasted better, have it on us - for whatever the reason, if you aren't happy with any of our gourmet meats, we'll refund or replace your purchase, whichever you prefer.
Two years treading the boards as a true thespian (an actor, I kid you not), thoroughly prepared Paul for his role at Lewis of Sunningdale though I suspect his specialty was more 'com' than 'romcom'. As good with a blade as Robert Deniro in Taxi Driver and as menacing as Al Pacino in the Godfather, Paul certainly adds the edge to the organisation....just don't catch him on an off-day! A Semi-pro footballer who, rumour has it, lacked any ability in the air (perhaps something to do with him having only little legs?) he's now a committed golfer and is determined to get lower than his current 16. Never mind and at least he's always been busy during panto-season with his other six pals!
The grandson of founder, William Lewis, Nigel's been at it since he was nine years old and, though I say so myself, he ain't looking too bad on it. Nigel's the 'stand-up comedian' of the business, leading from the front where he certainly wouldn't dream of asking any of his guys to do something he wouldn't. Having formally acquired the Lewis of Sunningdale mantel in 2003 he's certainly stamped his authority all over it and continues to be both the 'ideas' man and implementer. A long-standing and enthusiastic Wentworth member, Nigel plays off 8...although Paul is adamant that, with all the time he takes off, it should be way lower!
If anyone was ever born to be a butcher it was Mark, proving this to be the case by buying his first ever butcher's shop in Stoke Poges at the tender age of only 19 years old. Claiming that he learnt the trade 'the hard way' Mark was lured into the Lewis fold in 2002 and with his unsurpassed talent with the ol' butchery knives undoubtedly sees himself as the Antonio Banderas (Zorro!) of the operation.
The size of a prop and twice as ugly, Alex is the big man in the back! I'm sure there's a law that would stop this these days but back in the days when 13 year olds were sent up the chimney, Alex was sent to Lewis of Ascot where he began his butchering trade....as he'd have undoubtedly got stuck in the first chimney that he attempted anyway. Now in his mid 20's he claims he's more than looking forward to his well-earned sabbatical...though not half as much as his colleagues say they are! Believe it or not, young Alex found love on the Sunningdale parade with Rebecca from John Jenkins and they now have a lovely daughter, Ruby. Just imagine to wolf whistling the poor lady had to endure before finally submitting to Alex's...er...charms.
Meat, specifically red meat, is often at the heart of today's discussion of diet and health and so it should be. Eating red meat at every opportunity, with every meal, is patently not a good idea but this is the case of all the major food groups. Too much of one source is not a recipe for good health and certainly does not represent a balanced diet and THAT is the key, a balanced diet.
At Lewis of Sunningdale we're passionate about the quality of our product and fully appreciate that it's vital to achieve a balanced and healthy diet. We've been accused of getting on our hobby-horse on this subject but we do believe it is all our responsibility to set good examples and practice what we preach. If you stock your house with junk food and poor quality product, both you and your family will eat it. Why are you buying those giant bottles of lurid fizzy drinks, full of sugar, artificial colouring and precious little else? Why are you loading your shopping trolley with cakes, biscuits, crisps, chocolate and ice-cream?
We admit it's sometimes hard and the easy option is to continue to do so. You may believe that because many people eat unhealthily, that makes it OK. It doesn't. Ironically this is the one thing you can control and it is our responsibility to ensure our fridges and cupboards contain good meat, fish, a wide selection fruit, pulses, grains and those nutritious all-important vegetables.
People often complain about the price of healthy food, and we are certainly not the cheapest of butcher out there, but let's have a reality check here. A family meal from a commercial chain of fried chicken outlets will cost somewhere between £15-20 dependent upon the size of the family and their appetites! A free range chicken will cost around £10. Stick it in the oven for an hour or so with potatoes to roast and serve with broccoli and carrots for an inexpensive and nourishing meal.
You say "But the kids prefer chicken nuggets and chips." Of course they do if that's what we serve them. Isn't it time to take back control and and tell our families what they are going to eat, and why instead of letting them tell us? We have a duty to give our children and our families the best possible start to life so let's not deny them that through our own ignorance or laziness.
Fortunate enough to still possess the lovely feel of a local village, Lewis of Sunningdale believe we all have a vested interest in keeping Sunningdale that way. A supportive and community oriented approach is all our responsibility and our central tenet is that we must 'give a damn and make a difference'. At Lewis of Sunningdale we trust you'll find us cheerful, helpful and willing to go that little bit further in answering your queries and requests, be they on butchering or whatever takes your fancy.
Our belief in the essential nature of a balanced diet leading to a healthy, active life extends to our proactive support of several local teams and sports. Lewis of Sunningdale are proud to be associated with Charters School and Leisure Centre and Ascot United. Furthermore, on the basis that we practice what we preach, you'll often see 'our Nigel' pounding the Virginia Water paths in his quest for the elusive 'sub-45 minute 10K' and aiming for the time when, as Sunningdale's favourite Santa, he'll have to have false padding as opposed to the real thing!
For such a small and focussed local shop, being recently featured in The Times is something akin to hitting the big time. Their Food & Health Correspondent, Sarah Vine, certainly made our day when she made us the stars of her "I'm a gourmet and I want my sausages!" The word play on the famous Fawlty Tower's episode 'The Kipper and The Corpse' is obvious to all of us of a certain age and here's what she went on to say:
"The real experts on sausages, however, aren't the boffins at the FSA or the shelf-stackers at Tesco or even yours truly. No, the real experts are the butchers, who know exactly what is in their sausages and ought to be happy to tell you. Mine is Nigel Lewis, the owner of Lewis of Sunningdale, a third generation butcher who takes great pride in his bangers. His house special, "a secret family recipe", contains 90% meat, (proper shoulder of pork), rusk, sage, seasoning and little else.
His shop in the centre of Sunningdale caters to a mixture of country matrons, coiffured ladies of leisure, pony brats, stockbrokers, golfers and the occasional celebrity or Royal. Brucie, he tells me with a wink, likes a nice piece of pork; the Duke of York is partial to pork and sage. The atmosphere is light-hearted: cheeky chaps supplying cups of tea to customers and making up saucy suggestions for the blackboard (a current favourite being "the best hung meat in Sunningdale"). But their dedication to the meat is serious.
Nigel sincerely believes that the key to a good pork banger begins with the pig. His come from a local producer who rears his free range animals just off the aptly named Hog's Back (the A31 to non-locals). However, Nigel is no purist: he also does a venison and red wine sausage, a beef and horseradish, a chicken and turkey (undeniably healthy, if not what many would call a real banger) and the infamous chilli flavoured Texas Terrors which, believe me, are not for the fainthearted!
The one thing that all Nigel's creations have in common is a tremendously high meat content. Both the pork and chicken varieties, when grilled (never pierce the skin; it stops them from cooking evenly) don't change size or shrink, unlike cheap varieties, which go in plump and emerge tiny and shrivelled, a shadow of their former selves! The more the shrinkage, the higher the fat content. No, these are firm, meaty and packed with flavour, as sausages should be. There's one for your blackboard Nigel."
So, whether you take The Times or not we're sure you'd enjoy our sausages and, go on, be a devil and try one or two of the oh-so-different flavours, you know you want to!
