![Jonathon-Ross Beecham and Maureen Dwyer at the recently opened Herb & Cooke butcher. Pictures by Sylvia Liber Jonathon-Ross Beecham and Maureen Dwyer at the recently opened Herb & Cooke butcher. Pictures by Sylvia Liber](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/123041529/6caaab63-9a2b-455e-8bbd-24d8dc5d7691.jpg/r0_518_5065_3377_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The green shopfront at 330 Princes Highway Corrimal has long been associated with the best quality cuts in the Illawarra.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Back in the day, the store backed on to the abattoir, and there were stables in the rear yard.
While that may have changed, after four generations in the Ziems family, the new owners of the heritage butcher are keen to bring back the traditional corner shop butcher.
New owners Grant Cooke and Andrew O'Laughlin opened Herb & Cooke three weeks ago, and while the name of the awning may have changed, they are committed to honouring the store's history.
"Even though we've sign written the building, we've left the headstone visible," Mr Cooke said.
As the facade reads R.E. Ziems & Sons Butchers, the interior recalls the butcher shops of years gone by, with the hanging racks and wooden double doors.
"Above the coolroom there's a hatch where they used to load in all the ice blocks," Mr Cooke said.
With a lifetime's experience in the butchery industry, Mr Cooke has drawn on his contacts with wholesalers and graziers on the South Coast for locally sourced, grass-fed beef and lamb for the Corrimal butcher shop.
![Herb & Cooke has opened in the old Ziems Butcher shop in Corrimal. Herb & Cooke has opened in the old Ziems Butcher shop in Corrimal.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/rdPnbxNSt95RbDXSGgzrdz/c025c0b1-a956-409a-97c1-9443f5ffa24c.jpg/r0_280_5472_3369_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The carcasses are cut by hand in store, avoiding the heat that comes from automated butchery that raises the temperature of the meat when it is being sliced. Unlike the pre-packed cuts that come in supermarkets, Mr Cooke said it was a hallmark of the business that staff can get the right cut into the hands of customers.
"We cut the meat to specification here, so if someone wants a kilo or half a kilo of sausages and two rissoles, they can come in and do that," he said.
'If you're looking for a certain cut of meat, the chances are if we haven't got it in our display window, we can cut it for you."
The owners acknowledge that the other side of the traditional corner shop butcher is involvement in the community, something they're working out now with local clubs and community groups.
But it's not all about tradition, in the first weeks since opening, the top selling items have been the flavoured sausages, made in house.
"Our biggest seller at the moment is pork and apple, then our next best seller is cheese and Vegemite," Mr Cooke said.
As butchers disappear from supermarket counters, Herb & Cooke is committing to giving them a home at the traditional corner butcher shop.
We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on the Illawarra Mercury website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. Sign up for a subscription here.