Family farm butchers bring Matlock's former Wilko store back to life

Popular Peak District farmers and butchers Ginger Butchers have opened a new business in the former Wilko building at 2-4 Bank Road, Matlock.

The Armstrong family, who farm at New Close Farm at Over Haddon near Bakewell, first came to Matlock in 2023 with a small butcher's shop on Bank Road. Demand outgrew it, and this summer they moved over the road into the much larger unit on Bank Road.

Poundland took the space after Wilko went, and it had been empty since Poundland left.

Everything is now under one roof: a full butchers counter, with beef, lamb and pork reared on the family farm and on farms nearb, a deli counter with the family's own cooked meats, pies and sausage rolls, alongside cheeses and hot and cold sandwiches to take away.

A farm shop is also available stocking local producers, from Peak District honey, oils and flour to organic milk from a nearby dairy and a new Ginger's Kitchen & Cafe, serving everything from coffee and cake to pie, chips and peas.

The family rears Hereford and Dexter cattle, sheep and pigs at Over Haddon. All the butchery and baking is done in the family's own cutting room and bakehouse at the farm and delivered to the shops. Beef is hung on the bone for a minimum of four weeks.

Ed Armstrong, who runs the shops with his brother Tom, said: "We'd always wanted a cafe, so people can try before they buy. You have your pie, chips and peas in the cafe, then you come and buy the pie, or the sausages, or the breakfast. It leads into each other. My dad always used to say nothing ventured, nothing gained, give the ball a good kick. So that's what we did."

Tom Armstrong, who runs the farm and the butchery, said: "I like working with animals. I find it peaceful. Then we get the meat back, hang it on the bone, look after it, butcher it properly and put it in the counter. When somebody tells me a pork chop had the best flavour they've had, I'm thinking, I saw that pig born. I was there. I raised it. That's what I find rewarding."

The move has created 20 new jobs across the business, from the shop floor and cafe to the farm, cutting room and bakehouse that supply it.

A spokesperson for the Peak District National Park Authority said: "Farming has always been at the heart of the Peak District National Park's identity, and it is great to see local family business Ginger Butchers continuing to thrive and expand outside of the National Park boundary. We wish them every success with their new venture in the historic town of Matlock."

The Armstrongs are fourth-generation butchers and have farmed at New Close Farm since 1962. Ed and Tom run the business with their mother Gill.