LOONEY'S BUTCHERS Looney's, with their butcher business and…read morethe chipper, have been part and parcel of life in Mayfield for decades. They are obviously providing a great service in the area. If there is one product they excel in then it has to be their mince meat which is the best around. Service is always friendly and chatty.

SHEEHAN BUTCHERS Sheehan Butchers have made considerable…read moreimprovements to their St Luke's shop in recent years. With huge new cold counters installed, it is now big and bright and the friendly service is as good as ever. You can get all your meat requirements here. The meats are sourced locally. It doesn't stop at meat - it is also a very good stop for other related items, including things like marinated pork products, meat balls, chicken and beef on skewers and so on. They also sell potatoes and watch out for the excellent rashers (packed by Ballincollig Bacon Slicers). Keep, an eye also for special promotions. On my very recent visit, they had 25 per cent off the price of everything. Great value.

O'CRUALAOI BUTCHERS O'Crualaoi Butchers have been trading…read moresince 1957 and new shops in Fermoy, Carrigaline and Wilton have seen a rapid expansion in recent times. Ballincollig is their first shop and I called to see their set-up recently. Here there are two sections, an inviting delicatessen and a very impressive and well laid out butcher shop. Wasn't on a meat buying mission on this occasion but did pick up one of their fresh soups (mushroom) from the deli. It was an excellent soup, very tasty indeed.

I get delivery sandwiches from O'Crualaoi once every now and again. The overall quality of the food…read moreis good and the price isn't massive for a delivery but the amount of meat in the 'sandwich specials' is quite light- this can be good for someone in an office as it will not produce food coma but I would recommend getting a regular sandwich as the toppings are better and portions are quite good. Many choices of things to have here.

O'MAHONY BUTCHERS O'Mahony Butchers can be found at the…read moreGrand Parade end of the English Market. Had been alerted that they had good vale in bavette, the type of steak you might come across in French bistros. The helpful courteous assistant cut five of them for me and they cost eight euro. The equivalent in fish would cost between €12 and €15. They went down very well that evening with four out of five giving them the thumbs up. "It loves a good raw heat, where you cook it nice and fast, where the flames hit it," says Shannon Gregory, a butcher at Cafe Rouge in Berkeley, which sells Niman Ranch's flap meat in both its meat market and in the restaurant as a plate of bistro-style grilled steak with red wine shallot butter. "Make sure you cut across the grain. Otherwise it's like eating a lot of rubber bands." Read more, including a good explanation of the bavette, at:http://bit.ly/6R4ayu

O'SULLIVAN POULTRY O'Sullivan Poultry in the English Market…read morehave everything you might expect in such an establishment. But now they have added some unusual meats as well: Ostrich, Kangaroo, Crocodile, Rabbit, Pigeon and so on. I was on the "hunt" for venison the other day and they had some from Tipperary in stock. A neat packet, costing less than four euro, caught my eye. Was surprised that it held more than enough for two. Took it home and had ourselves a delightful venison casserole that evening. Easy and not at all costly.

O'FLYNN'S BUTCHERS O'Flynn's Butchers in Marlboro Street may…read morewell be out of the shared limelight that the English Market endows on its tenants but, such is the quality of product and service that O'Flynn's have maintained for decades, their customers will seek them out time and time again. Called in there this Jazz Weekend Saturday and, after some banter and spot-on advice, left a happy customer. Happier again later on when that first class pork was on the plate Chez Moi. And some left over for sangers, as predicted by the man behind the counter. John O'Flynn & Sons, Master Butchers, 36 Marlboro Street. 427 5685

JACK MCCARTHY Kanturk was en fete last evening as French…read moresociety La Confrérie des Chevaliers du Goûte Boudin arrived in the Duhallow town to present Jack McCarthy with a Gold Medal for the quality of his famous Black Pudding. McCarthy's were giving it away last night and it is fantastic, really really good and well worth the Gold Medal. The Gold Medal butchers had roasted a wild boar. I had a few chunks of that. Different class. McCarthy's do a whole range of classy meat products in their Main Street shop and you can see the whole range on-line.

Gosh. Hate to rain on the parade regarding McCarthys of Kanturk, but some recent empirical…read moreexperience prompts me to do so. Let me begin by saying the holiday order was for an older relative living in Ireland. A little old lady in fact who has difficulty getting out and about due to her age. It sounded like a great idea to avail of the online services of a shop like McCarthys in Kanturk : quite a lot said about some products on the internet , so it was worth a try. I mean what can go wrong , in this day and age of online commerce?. It is a simple order , to be delivered to my elderly relative and really just that easy. Well, that is when Murphys Law hit hard and the sentence was indeed painful to behold. Notably, their online order system was probably not tested first before installation. I was billed twice and then comes the kicker : after receiving several emails from the shop, they indicate the delivery info was incomplete so would be providing a refund. Now, that is very puzzling as it is impossible to complete the order without proving the required info. Then, upon pointing it out , Tim McCarthy at the shop, explained they needed a street address or P.O box for delivery. Hmmmm now. Not buying it at all, as a similar order was placed online with a similar butcher shop and no problems whatsever. Incidentally, both shops use the same software. So, I hate to say it but McCarthys is either misleading customers or not taking the time to learn their online software. In any event, a total waste of time and dealing with Tim McCarthy was less than pleasant as he has obviously not been sent the memo on basic customer courtesy. He was both curt and rude over the whole duration of the attempt to make an order. Now the result is for my elderly relative to not get her holiday gift as planned. I wasted considerable time in dealing with an operation which needs better management and confidence to display basic courtesy to the public. Be warned so you can avoid nightmare shopping experiences as with McCarthys of Kanturk.

Welcome to heaven. Best and cleanest butcher shop i have ever seen. And Dennis and his team are so…read morenice.