Cranstons CRAFT Butchery Scheme

Butchery has been at the heart of Cranstons since 1914, when Stanley Cranston travelled the Eden Valley selling meat from his horse and cart. More than a century on, craft and tradition are still deeply rooted in everything we do – but we continue to evolve, adapting to new methods, processes and changing customer expectations.

Developing skilled butchers has always been central to our business. While we have long offered apprenticeships, the CRAFT (Cranstons Retail and Factory Trained) Butchery Scheme has been created to give apprentices a fuller, more rounded experience of the trade – and the confidence to shape a career that suits their strengths and interests.

The CRAFT scheme is a structured, hands-on three-year apprenticeship that goes beyond a standard butchery qualification. Apprentices rotate across all seven of our butchery sites, gaining experience in a wide range of environments – from traditional high street butcher shops and award-winning Food Halls, to full carcass breakdown in our Central Production Unit.

This approach ensures apprentices experience every part of the process, from large-scale production and specialist equipment through to customer-facing retail butchery. Along the way, they build strong foundations in knife skills, food safety, stock control and customer service, before developing more advanced skills such as dry ageing, curing, game preparation and value-added products.

Crucially, the scheme allows apprentices the time and space to discover where they thrive. Some may prefer the pace and interaction of retail butchery, while others are drawn to the technical precision of process and carcass work. In the final year, apprentices can choose a specialist pathway that reflects their interests and ambitions.

The CRAFT scheme is championed by a team of experienced leaders from across the business, including Peter Potts (Head of Retail), Poppy Dixon (Learning and Development), Julian Natrass (Production Butchery Excellence Lead), Rob McManus (Retail Butchery Excellence Lead) and Stephen Hinett (Raw Production Manager). All are former Cranstons apprentices themselves, and between them bring more than a century of Cranstons knowledge.

Their focus is not only on passing on technical skill, but on nurturing pride in the craft, high standards of quality, and a deep understanding of what makes Cranstons different.

The CRAFT Butchery Scheme is open to anyone with a genuine interest in food and a willingness to learn – whether that’s someone starting out in their working life or someone looking for a complete career change. Apprentices earn while they learn, work towards a nationally recognised qualification with an external training provider, and gain a clear pathway for long-term progression within the business.

Many of our apprentices go on to mentor new starters, contribute to projects across efficiency, wellbeing and product development, and progress into senior or leadership roles.

If you’d like to know more about our apprenticeship programme please email
Poppy via recruitment@cranstons.net