It was a lazy Sunday afternoon with nothing planned, so my wife and I decided to take a look at ‘Malloy’s Craft Butchery’ at the new Ben’s Yard.

I visited Ben’s Yard for the grand opening but unfortunately missed Malloy’s’ as we had to leave the event early. I was delighted to return, as I have heard nothing but good things about their reputation from their Cambridge branch.

One of my favourite things about Malloy’s is the opening times, with Monday to Saturday being open from 9am-5pm and Sundays open from 10am-4pm. So many butchers close on weekends or open briefly on a Saturday morning, meaning that I rarely get to visit a butcher at all. This alone makes Malloy’s my butcher, despite half a dozen butchers being between Malloys and my home.

There is free parking, with disabled parking but no children spaces available. The shop has several large fridges with pre-prepared meat along the right hand side of the butcher. The entire shop is very spacious, open, and clean with lots of light.

On the left hand side is a cheese monger with a wide selection of cheeses and sausage rolls available. There are several shelves with hot sauce and other condiments throughout the shop.

At the cheese monger there is a variety of free samples available, showing examples of what they had to offer. The one that stood out for me was a wonderfully buttery and smooth British brie. From the moment we sampled this heavenly delight we purchased a block for a cheese board later.

The lady at the till was explaining that their sausage rolls, pies, and other baked goods are all made fresh in store. The sausage rolls were immense with a whopping sausage to pastry ratio!

There was a wide selection of red meat and poultry available. Some notable options are Australian wagyu steaks, some gorgeous looking Sicilian sausages, and a selection of whole chickens. There is also pork belly, lamb chops, and a humourously named ‘tommapork’. There is also a fridge with a selection of cured meats.

We picked out a herb-fed free-range British chicken. The chicken was 1.8kg at £16.78…One for special occasions perhaps? This, after all, is a craft butcher. If you are looking for value then small village butchers or supermarkets might be more your jam. A lot of the time, meat is one of those things where you get what you pay for.

I must admit, after using this chicken for a Sunday roast, my wife and I were both in agreement that the quality was superb. The flavour was bold and felt a million miles away from the supermarket chicken. The chicken meat was thick, succulent, and had a juicy texture. Even without using salt to season (due to having a baby) the chicken could be appreciated.

We also picked up these rather striking Sicilian sausages. These jumped right out the fridge at me and were something I simply had to buy. They came to £6.81 for six sausages. At the time of writing these have not been eaten yet and I will report back in good time.

As we arrived home, we helped ourselves to a cheese board. We had already sampled the British made brie ‘Waterloo’, so we already knew it was divine. A small block of this came to around £6.

We also picked up a block of ‘Norfolk Blue’, which came to £6.66. This is a very mild and inoffensive equivalent to what most people would compare to a Stilton. My wife was a fan but I found this to be a little weak and bland for my liking.

I am a big fan of Malloy’s. Not only because it is clean, with easy access, and a superb selection of meat and cheese but also because they are open over the weekends. It makes quality meat so much more accessible for people who work 9-5.

You can also make a day of it while visiting Ben’s Yard, with its wide selection of facilities. Simply rock up, grab a steak, go for a coffee, and do a bit of shopping all at once. Prices are higher than certain village butchers (which I know will be an issue for some people) but this is a craft butcher and you have to pay for quality. I always find with meat it is almost always worth spending a bit more I can see Malloy’s being perfect for that high-quality rare treat.

Thanks for reading.