Bishops Hull Butchers pies win Taste of the West awards

This is the second time in two years that the local shop which is situated right in the heart of the village has been recognised by the Taste of the West.

“We have won two awards - one for our steak and kidney pie and the other for our turkey and ham," Tom Parker the owner of Bishops Hull Post Office Stores and Butchers said.

"The recipes for both of these were passed onto us by the previous owner Tim Pope, and we have just tweaked them slightly, so he needs to get some of the credit."

Parker bought the business four years ago and moved into the village with his family, since when in spite of Covid Bishops Hull Stores Butchers and Post Office has become the focal point for the local community.

The pie making side of the business is proving to be very successful for Parker, who hails originally from Cornwall, where he played professional rugby for Cornish All Blacks before going onto play at International level for Spain.

Last year the shop sold 10,000 pies, which Parker expects to increase to between 12-15,000, all of which is great news.

“We make them as a batch and then freeze them so they are freshly cooked each day- some people like to buy them frozen and cook them at home for themselves, others come in and buy them to eat warm at lunchtime and others take them out for a picnic or a snack.”

Times have been quite hard for Parker since he took over, as he explained: "Over the last two years Covid has really brought out the community spirit and we have worked very hard to try to embrace that challenge.

“I have a strong belief that the butchers and the shop need to be at the very heart of the community and this is demonstrated by the fact that we have a very loyal support from people in the village, for which I am very grateful.”

Bishop’s Hull Stores Butchers and Post Office shop is situated at 45 Bishops Hull Rd, Bishop's Hull, Taunton TA1 5EP, telephone 01823 337497.