Specialties, journeyman's certificate, and ways forward as a gourmet butcher

The gourmet butcher is the specialist among butchers — the one who cultivates the craft, taste and quality ahead of mass production. While much of the meat processing today takes place in industry, the gourmet butcher is the man or woman at the counter who makes meat an experience.

As a gourmet butcher you are an expert in butchering processing and refining meat into high-quality products. You make sausages pâtés and specialities from scratch season salt and smoke and advise customers on cuts and preparation. It is a trade for those who want more than packaging meat — you want to create flavour and quality and meet the customer.

You typically start with a basic course at a vocational school and then need to find an apprenticeship with a butcher or a specialty shop. The education alternates between school stays and practice so you learn both technique and customer contact in reality. As an apprentice you get paid during training and finish with a journeyman exam that gives you the journeyman's certificate.

• 01In a butcher's shop or specialist butcher.
• 02In the supermarket's staffed meat and delicatessen counter.
• 03With producers of specialty and delicacy products.
• 04In the restaurant and catering industry.
• 05As self-employed with own business eventually.

With the journeyman's certificate you can specialise further become master and open your own business or work with developing new products. Interest in quality local materials and using the whole animal creates good opportunities for skilled butchers who can do more than standard products. The trade gives you a solid craft with room for both pride and creativity.

“The trade rewards those who want quality—not just quantity.”

— Butchery guide