A true traditional butcher! Green's of Pangbourne!

What a pleasure it is to walk into a shop dedicated to the finer things in the foodie's life - fresh farm-raised meat, homemade pies, and savory treats. Green's of Pangbourne is such a place.

Quality of ingredients means everything to the aspiring gourmet, and Green's is dedicated to providing nothing but the finest selection. In fact, the shop has been awarded a most prestigious accolade. Green's is South England's Butchers Shop of the Year for 2009. Impressive!

The staff is friendly and charming, and the service impeccable. While we visited the tiny shop, the aroma of slow-simmered beef and vegetables filled the space, triggering an amazing burst of hunger. Known for its meat pies, Green's makes a wide assortment of the delectable pastries and sells more than 1000 each week. Since most top-crust pies are similar in appearance, Green's uses a clever code to tell them apart- they label each pie with pastry initials to identify the contents.

Known for the quality of its meats, Green's turns out sausages by the hundreds, if not thousands each week. I'm intrigued by the variety - especially the venison and red wine sausage and the pork, chili and apricot. To satisfy our curiosity this first visit, we opted for the traditional pork sausage. And of course, we stocked up on Green's homemade mango chutney to use as an accompaniment.

But the pies are warm and ready to eat now, and my kitchen smells beyond good.

Don't worry. I won't disappoint, hungry readers! I promise an interview with the legendary chef Philip Cripps in the near future and we'll talk about his skills at turning out free-range scotch eggs, French quiches, and the comfort food of all comfort foods, cottage pie.

Indulge in a meat pie today!

If you're curious, visit www.greensofpangbourne.com.
10 Whitchurch Road
Pangbourne, Berkshire RG8 7BP