Ashampstead butchers close online orders after ‘unprecedented’ Christmas demand

A popular butchers in Ashampstead has had to stop taking online Christmas orders following the largest demand it has seen in 60 years.

Vicars Game, which was recently bought out by Yattendon Estates, reached it's capacity of what it is “physically able to process” in online orders.

The business is now asking customers to come into the store from tomorrow, (Monday) should they still wish to make a purchase.

Alan Hayward from Vicars Game, who is the former co-owner with Owen Hayward was working at the shop today and said that this, his last Christmas with the company, had “by far” been his busiest.

He said: “I have done 60 Christmases and this is my last one, and oh by far this is the most [orders] we’ve had.

“We were very, very busy this morning and still are and it will get busier every day".

Mr Hayward commented on why he thinks the pressure has been high this year.

He said: “We are struggling, there’s no doubt about that, a lack of butchers is a major problem.

"I think everybody is wanting to have a good Christmas this year because they lost the last, that made a difference”.

Travel restrictions bought on by the rising cases of Omicron, have also meant that many more people will be spending Christmas at home.

“They’ve closed France and other places, we are just inundated with people wanting shopping and wanting turkeys and that sort of thing - it’s manic.

“A lot of people were going to go away skiing, so it’s families of four, five or six.

"A lot of people are nervous about the epidemic coming back again and so they are doing a little family Christmas at home now”.

Another factor that may have had an impact is pubs and restaurants closing, or taking in fewer diners, with families now more inclined to make Christmas dinner at home this year.

Mr Hayward said that his son’s restaurant Sweeney and Todd, in Reading, had lost bookings since the resurgence of Coronavirus cases.

“My son has a restaurant and he’s lost all but 90-per-cent of his business bookings, he just got out of trouble since the last [lockdown] and he got back on his feet and then it comes again.

“It’s hard, it’s very hard for a lot of people. We are going into the unknown”.

Staffing deficiencies are also an issue as Mr Hayward noted the industry was “desperately” in need of training programmes.

"The biggest thing we incurred, initially, was a lack of staff.

“This company has grown and we could grow some more but people aren’t there to help us grow anymore”.