Bankers turn to corporate butchery

By Samantha Pearson                                                Financial Times

Nine men dressed in expensive suits and white coats stained with blood gather round a table. Among the group are bankers, a property developer and some of England’s richest men. This is corporate entertainment in the post-banking crisis era and they are learning the art of butchery at an evening class in central London.

The class at the Ginger Pig butcher’s shop in Marylebone has become a popular way for City institutions to entertain their clients in the recession as many cut back on expensive parties.

Tim Wilson, the Yorkshire farmer who owns the shop and four others in the capital, says that one of his butchers started offering one-off classes three years ago after requests from customers. Now there are three sessions a week and half of the places are taken up by corporate bookings.

Borut, the Slovenian butcher who jointly runs the class, starts off by teaching the group how to tell rump from ribeye steak. After completing a three-year degree in butchery in Ljubljana, Borut came to London to carry out the profession that has been in his family for generations.

During the past six months, he says, the class has become particularly popular with companies wanting to entertain clients. “You could take them to an expensive restaurant but they want to do something different. We’ve even had some vegetarians come.”

Later on in the evening, the men are challenged to hold up a 45kg side of beef in the air for 20 seconds as their colleagues and friends count down, cheer and take pictures with their BlackBerrys. The prize is a free ribeye steak to take home.