Aldens History

Aldens: A 227 Year History

Having been established in 1793 by Isaac Aldens, we are now an 8th generation family owned and run business, making us one of the oldest family owned traditional butchers in the UK. We’re known for having stayed true to our values throughout, by prioritising craft butchery methods, the best produce, excellent value and first class service.

We started life on Eastwyke Farm in Oxford, and never left the city. In 1841, we first opened a shop in Oxford’s historic covered market where we had a presence up until 2017. We stayed in the market and Eastwyke farm while we grew in popularity, building a reputation for our quality produce and caring service, serving the people of Oxfordshire.

While serving the people of Oxfordshire, we continued to grow. By 1960 Aldens had 10 shops in the covered market and consistently became busier supplying local restaurants, pubs and Oxford University colleges throughout the 80’s and 90’s.

As we worked with more and more prestigious clients, we took the decision to invest and move to purpose built premises in Osney Mead, just outside of Oxford’s city centre. This allowed us to improve our efficiency and service for all of customers, from catering customers to the families throughout Oxfordshire. In 2005, the Meatmaster brand was born when we opened our store in Osney Mead. Since then, the company has grown further and expanded when we introduced the Osney Food Shed, comprising of the Aldens Fishmarket, with Oxfordshire’s finest selection of seafood, and Fish4Lunch, our onsite concept restaurant.

We continue to be family owned and run by the Alden family, with 8th generation Aldens Managing Director, Matthew. While much has changed since 1793, now employing 90 people, and with a fleet of company owned vehicles, including Oxfordshire’s first fully electric delivery van, Aldens is now very much a state-of-the-art company, while retaining the traditional butchery methods and focus on quality and service.