‘We don’t want to be the biggest, we want to be the best at what we do,’ HG Walter managing director Adam Heanen says. It’s a simple goal in theory, but the reality of maintaining such high standards for over fifty years is, of course, no mean feat. The family-run butcher has sourced exceptional quality meat since it first opened, working with farms where welfare is put first before putting its expert butchery skills into action. It’s an attention to detail which has been rightfully recognised, earning it plaudits, award wins and a reputation as a go-to for top chefs at the country’s most renowned restaurants.

It was in 1972 that Adam’s father Peter Heanen first started the business, then a much smaller-scale operation centred around its Barons Court butcher in Hammersmith. In its early days it was staffed by Peter, his wife, his parents and one butcher, a compact team who brought their ethos of quality to life. ‘Dad was such a hard worker and put so much graft into the business,’ he says. ‘He raised the four of us for the majority of our lives as a single father, and had to balance the business with home life and school runs.’ With so much to juggle, there were, of course, only so many hours in the day, and HG Walter remained retail-focused until Peter’s four children – Adam and his siblings Daniel, Louise and Clare – became more involved in its day-to-day, later taking the business on (Peter, who is now seventy-four, still visits the team almost every day, Adam says). The Barons Court shop is thriving, but today most of HG Walter’s business comes from its work with restaurants, which began with the likes of The River Café and chef Phil Howard. ‘From an early stage we were working with those high calibre names and it made us raise our game,’ Adam says.

Today, its partnerships include Jeremy Lee’s Quo Vadis, Frog by Adam Handling, Heston Blumenthal’s three Michelin-starred The Fat Duck, The Grill by Tom Booton at the Dorchester and Olie Dabbous’ Hide. It’s a who’s who of the UK’s brightest culinary stars, drawn to HG Walter by its refusal to compromise when it comes to quality. Much of that can be put down to its meticulous sourcing – many of the farms it works with are small, often family-run, serious about sustainability and focused on free-range, native breeds, from Hampshire Duroc pigs to from Hereford and Aberdeen Angus cattle. It’s a whole carcass butcher, utilising every cut, and prides itself in particular on selling the best beef in the country, from its ribeye steaks to wagyu and dry-aged beef burgers. Before it arrives in the shop or is sent to restaurants, all of HG Walter's beef is aged in its Himalayan salt room for four to six weeks to deepen its flavour, part of its commitment to doing everything it can in house; HG's chefs also make all its stocks, sausages, burgers, bacon and pies.