Swansea butcher scoops strong man title

Swansea Butcher Hugh Phillips, which has its own abattoir on Gower and a stall on Swansea Market, is celebrating employee David Todd’s stunning strong man victory.

Butcher David scooped the title of Wales’ Strongest Man Under 80 kilos in Cardiff last month in Wales’ Show of Strength competition – and he says working as a butcher helps him build his strength.

The competition challenges included keg tossing and various lifting and carrying tasks. David trained four times a week to build up his strength and ate meat from Hugh Phillips to boost his muscle.

“I enjoyed taking part in the competition – it feels good to beat people,” he said. “Working for Catherine Butler, who runs Hugh Phillips, has definitely helped: the job involves lifting and carrying and we are fed all day long at work, so I tend to have a cooked breakfast, and then maybe steak and a jacket potato for dinner.”

He’s so pleased with how his job has helped with his training that he is now endorsing Hugh Phillips’ meat.

“Because I work here I know how good their meat is. Supermarket meat is just not the same quality,” he says.

Hugh Phillips owner Catherine Butler also recently had her products endorsed by Wales sports star Non Evans MBE. She is delighted to have another top sportsperson spreading the word about her produce.

“People always say they can taste and see the difference with our meat,” she says. “Having our own abattoir means that we can carefully select the animals we butcher, and all our produce is 100% traceable. We take great care to handle and age the meat properly, and it’s not pumped full of water so you don’t see the meat shrinking when you cook it.

“It’s great to hear that people like Non and David would choose our meat over anybody else’s.”