When Belinda Wood stumbled upon Eighth Avenue in Maylands she knew she’d found the perfect location to realise her dream of taking her prime, grass fed Angus Beef from her Manjimup farm direct to the public.
I met Belinda last week in her recently opened venture, Hampshire on Eighth, to talk to her about her focus and passion for selling only the best quality, natural, free-range, produce sourced from smallholder WA farmers. This philosophy extends beyond the meats to the sauces, condiments, accompaniments and other bits and bobs from local speciality providers, like the organic vegetables, stocked and sold in the store.
But Hampshire on Eighth is first and foremost a Butcher’s shop. So here’s the rundown on the main proteins on offer:
Angus Beef – all from Belinda’s own farm it’s 100% grass fed and finished and aged on the bone for fuller flavour. I bought some pre-prepared beef schnitzels for my boys and they declared them one of the best they’d eaten.
Dorper Lamb – this breed is acclaimed for the exceptional flavour of its meet and Belinda’s sources it from a farm in Northam. Like the beef, the sheep are 100% grass fed and finished.
Pork – free range from a smallholder farm in Dalwallinu.
Chicken – hand processed by Liberty open range chicken in Baldivas. I can vouch for the flavour of the thighs which I marinated for several hours and cooked in the frypan – superb.
All the fresh meat products, like the sausages and schnitzels, are made on the premises and there is a butcher on hand to cut any of the meats to customer requirements. The opening hours are still being played around with but it’s typically open until 6:00pm during the week and closes a bit earlier on weekends – which includes Sunday’s (so you don’t have to settle for standard supermarket fare if unexpected guests drop in – how good is that?!).
Knowing the Maylands community I know that Hampshire on Eight will get great local support, but those slightly further afield will find the journey there worthwhile too. The hard part will be sticking to the shopping list and not getting distracted by all other things on offer – both in and outside the store.
About Natalie
Not impressed that I cannot find Hampshire on Eighth opening hours ANYWHERE on line, even their own website has no info. Please update this. Thanks
Hi Branka – sorry to hear that – did you try giving them a call or posting them a message on Facebook? I’ll see if I can get an update this week. Last time I spoke to them they were still playing with the opening hours based on customer demand. Could be that it’s still the case.
Hi Branka. I messaged Helen at Hampshire on Eighth and it’s as I suspected, they’re still trialling the hours to see where the demand is. Their current hours (advertised on their door) are 9:00am to 6:00pm Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 on Saturday and 9 to 4 on Sunday. It is though subject to future change. I’d suggest calling before dropping in if it’s later in the day, especially on the weekend. Cheers, Natalie
Hi again – they’re updating their website with their latest times Branka. They’ve said thanks for the heads up. Cheers, Natalie