Illawarra Star readers vote for the region’s best butchery

We asked you where the best butcher in the Illawarra is and the results are in. FIND OUT WHO THE WINNER IS.

Mountain View Meats is a family-owned Woonona butchery. Picture: supplied

The Illawarra Star’s readers have voted – and now we can reveal the best butchery in the region.

Family-owned Mountain View Meats at Woonona took out the title after readers voted for the butcher in our online poll, with the best Christmas cuts from Kiama to Helensburgh.

Mountain View Meats has been operating for 27 years, with three generations working side-by-side behind the counter.

Laurie Jones opened the butchery, before his two sons and grandson joined him at the much-loved shop.

“It’s good … It’s really good to be able to work with them everyday,” Mr Jones said.

Christmas is unsurprisingly the busiest time of year for the Jones’ family butchery, which is known for its famous, house-smoked hams.

“They are a really good ham,” Mr Jones said. “We’ve got three smoke ovens we can cook in and when we started out it was a bit of trial and error.

Mountain View Meats' famous Christmas hams. Picture: supplied

“We started with one little oven and bought two more and now my son does all the smoking by himself”.

Each year, Mr Jones sells a “hell of a lot” of hams.

“We’ve been supplying on company with hams for 32 years in total, so they must be pretty fair,” he said.

In the lead up to Christmas Day, Mr Jones, now 72-years-old, said he and one of his sons worked from 4am to 6pm to keep up with all the orders. But he has no plans of stopping anytime soon.

“I’d miss this place, and all the people who come in too much,” he said.

On being voted best butcher in the Illawarra, Mr Jones said he was shocked, but very honoured.

“It makes me feel really good, and the boys too. It’s unreal actually, just lovely,” he said.

“Some of the customers I’ve been serving for 27 years, now their kids are grown up and they are coming in too.”