Meatsmith Brighton

Meatsmith, from Andrew McConnell and Troy Wheeler (ex-head butcher at Peter Bouchier), is not your average butcher. Here you’ll find top-of-the line meats, ready-made meals you’ll actually want to eat and a solid edit of charcuterie, cheese and condiments to keep you stocked up at home.

Behind the glass cabinets at the Brighton butchery, you’ll find some of the state’s biggest names in beef – including Blackmore Wagyu and O’Connor Beef – in a wide range of cuts. You might order dry-aged T-bone steak, dry-aged rib eye steaks or beef short ribs. Beyond beef, you can choose from reams of house-made sausages, Bannockburn chicken schnitzels, pork shoulder from Glen Eyrie Rare Breeds, pre-marinated racks of Wiltipoll lamb and plenty more.

A lot of what you’ll find in the cabinets calls for dedicating an afternoon (or entire day) to careful cooking. Yet there are plenty of options that make weeknight cooking easier, too. That might include pre-made coq au vin, sausage rolls, family-size chicken pies and Cumulus Inc’s 8-hour slow-cooked lamb shoulder.

For the slower days, there’s grazing platter staples that will elevate any aperitivo hour – like chicken liver pate, foie gras parfait, sliced deli meats and cheeses. You'll also find seasonal produce from Ramarro Farm, house-made condiments and pickles, and a fridge stocked with wine, spirits, regular beers and non-alc beers.

McConnell and Wheeler opened Meatsmith Fitzroy in 2015, before expanding with butchers in St Kilda, Brighton and Balwyn. You’ll find mostly the same stock across each of the stores, changing seasonally, and you can also pre-order online.