Trading since 1888

Totally family run business thats been trading since 1888, providing high quality meat for 113 years.

Ensuring our customers of the highest quality of food and hygiene

Members of the Institute of Meat since 1989, Keeping up with all regulations including HCCP.

Supporting local community

Our main supply of Beef, Pork, Lamb and Freerange Chicken and Ducks come from around the local area, giving us knowledge of it's traceability.

At Lush Butchers we try to strive a support the local farming community by being supplied with meat from the area, giving us knowledge of it's traceabilty. Our main supply of Beef, Pork, Lamb and Freerange Chicken and Ducks come from around the Langport area, 14 miles from Castle Cary.
We use local abbatoir, usually Bernard Stacey in Somerton about 8 miles away,this is a small family firm like ourselves who take pride in their work, if not, then Snell's near Chard about 18 miles away.All this means that the movement of the animals is minimal, which means they are less stressed and better quality meat for it. Lush Butchers only supply local meat, they were recently featured in the Sunday Telegraph when they were offered sirloin from five countries with foot and mouth: Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Botswana and South Africa. The EU banned imports from Argentina and Uruguay last month because they had failed to contain foot and mouth within the infected zones. Mr Lush said: "I was amazed. I turned down the offer because we sell only local English meat since that is what our customers want."

Lush Butchers became Members of the Institure of Meat in 1989 and have kept up with all regulations including HCCP ensuring our customers of the highest standard of quality of food and hygiene.

We hang our Beef for at least 10 days to make it distinctive from any other suppliers. We use several poultry and game suppliers (we have a Game licence to sell) in the area especially Turkeys and Freerange Turkeys at Christmas time which we hang in a cold room for at least 10 days before Christmas to mature into the most succulent and moist meat.
We buy in English bacon and gammons,also we are slowly building up our own dry cured bacon with which we hope to replace the ordinary bacon.

Brian and Derek Lush own the business both starting part time before school lessons and holidays and full time employment for their father soon after they left school, so the butchers way of life has always been in the blood.

Brian and Derek went to college in 1974 to further their knowledge taking the Institute of Meat coarse passing General certificates with Merit and Final Certificates.

LUSH BUTCHERS has been trading since 1888 giving service and high quality meat for 113 years to Castle Cary and surroundng area. It all started with Eli Lush who learnt his trade with Bartletts Butchers in Castle Cary in 1871. Eli moved into present shop in 1894, known as E Lush with three of his sons Williiam, John and Frederick and wife Mary by his side. John left, emigrating to Australia in 1912 becoming a sheep farmer. Frederick also emigrated to Australia in 1914 as a butcher, leaving William the oldest son to take over when Eli retired in 1918. William Lush had ill health and died at 47 in 1920, passing the business onto Gilbert his son. Gilbert was only 17 when William died so Eli came out of retirement to help out, but with the 20's depression Gilbert went bankrupt in1931, so Eli's youngest son Reginald left farming at Blackworthy Farm near Castle Cary to take over with the financial help of his father-in-law Harry Asher a baker in Castle Cary. Reginald built the business back up calling it R E Lush only to have to endure rationing in the Second World War until 1953 when rationing ceased, he had to retire in 1968 where his son Edwin Lush took over reverting the name back to E Lush. Edwin and his wife Gardinal started to build up the trade by adding to the repertoire of fine meat, making homemade pies, faggots, cooked hams,sausages and other small goods, with sister Janet working as a butcher and sometime in their lives all the eight children working in the business, the boys Roger, Brian, Derek and Peter working as butchers and the girls Margaret, Helen, Rachel and Rosemarie working in the cookhouse making the small goods.In 1983 Ted (Edwin) and Gardinal brought Brian and Derek into partnership trading as E & G Lush and Sons. Ted and Gardinal retired in 1993 leaving the business in capable hands of Brian and Derek, renaming it LUSH BUTCHERS, who have Peter their youngest brother as a third butcher, Katherine, (Derek,s wife) serving in the shop, sister, Margaret working in the cookhouse with her two sister-in laws Pauline and Linda, (so it has really a family affair) So with two World Wars, early death, 1920's/30's depression and the demise of independent butchers through strong competition from supermarkets and new stiffer regulations, LUSH BUTCHERS have seen and gone through a lot, giving Brian and Derek looking forward to the challenge of what is ahead.