New Swiss Farm Butchers store in village will be the company's fourth

A family-owned butchers is set to open a fourth store, which will be close to a Suffolk seaside town.

Swiss Farm Butchers is hoping to open in Trimley St Martin, near Felixstowe, during the summer, but the exact location of the shop - and the starting date - is currently a closely-guarded secret until an official announcement is made.

Once opened, the new premises will join existing shops at Aldeburgh, Ashbocking and Great Bromley.

READ MORE: Seaside town gets a taste for new butchers store

Kerry Gooding, manager of the Ashbocking outlet, said David Ridgeway, the owner of Swiss Farm Butchers, had been "out and about" looking for new locations.

She said: "To be fair, he had always wanted to go there. It has always been a location in his mind."

Some of the meats on offer at the Swiss Farm Butchers store in Aldeburgh (Image: Sarah Lucy Brown)

The butchers has been running since 1972, having been founded by Mr Ridgeway's mother Dot, who operated under the maxim that "good quality meat should not be a luxury, but should be affordable to everyone".

READ MORE: Popular Swiss Farm butchers set to open third store

In March 2022, this newspaper revealed how Swiss Farm Butchers would be opening its third store - also by the seaside in Aldeburgh - in April that year.

At the time, Mr Ridgeway said he was a big fan of Aldeburgh and had wanted to open the new store to coincide with the firm's 50th anniversary celebrations.

David Ridgeway is the owner of Swiss Farm Butchers (Image: Sarah Lucy Brown)

READ MORE: Felixstowe news

He said: “We are pleased that we are there and are confident that it will have a nice feel about it. There will be parking and views of the sea in the distance, while it is also local to Leiston.”

The butchers features 40ft long counters selling all the traditional meats, including sausages, bacon, beef and a lot of chicken.