Apprentice Butcher
H G WALTER LIMITED
London (NW10 7UN)
Closes in 28 days (Friday 24 October 2025 at 11:59pm)
Posted on 26 September 2025
Contents
Summary
Love food? Want a hands-on, fast-paced career where every day is seriously satisfying? Join HG Walter — an award-winning, family-run butcher — as an Apprentice Butcher, learn the art of butchery, work with top-quality meat, and gain a trade that can set you up for a long-term, rewarding career in the meat industry.
- Wage
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£17,667 to £28,571.40, depending on your age
National Minimum Wage
Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
We pay well above the national minimum apprenticeship wage, with opportunities for pay increases as you progress.
- Training course
- Butcher (level 2)
- Hours
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We work 5 days out of 6, with Sundays off.
Specific days and hours will be confirmed before start date.
45 hours a week
- Start date
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Tuesday 20 January 2026
- Duration
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1 year 6 months
- Positions available
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5
Work
Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.
What you'll do at work
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Master a wide range of knife skills and traditional butchery techniques
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Break down full carcasses and become skilled at processing dry-aged beef
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Prepare orders for restaurants and wholesale partners
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Work with some of the UK’s finest, sustainably sourced meat
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Build confidence, teamwork, and organisational skills that will last a lifetime
We want our apprentices to become well-rounded butchers, capable of tackling any task in a professional butchery.
Where you'll work
Unit 737
Tudor Estate, Abbey Road
London
NW10 7UN
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
MEAT EAST ANGLIA TRADES (IPSWICH) LIMITED
Training course
Butcher (level 2)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Comply with regulations and legislation relevant to their role and business.
- Maintains and sharpens knives and cutting equipment.
- Manual handling of carcases or primals through the manufacturing or butchery process.
- Adhere to the organisational policies and standard operating procedures.
- Maintain the meat product to the given customer specification and food safety compliance and traceability procedures in the meat supply chain.
- Support colleagues in delivering the daily workplace requirements.
- Use technology and applications to support production, sales, and customer service.
- Contribute to continuous improvement activities which focus on improving sustainability within the business.
- Communicate with customers and stakeholders to meet their requirements.
- Process and dispose of waste material.
- Uses knives and cutting equipment to undertake a range of primary and secondary butchery skills.
- Serve customers in line with brand standards.
- Advise customers on the use by dates, storage, preparation, and cooking of meat products.
- Prepare, produce, and display meat products such as joints, portions, sausages, burgers, value-added products and offer alternative products when required.
- Plan and prepare for seasonal supply and demand of meat products in the merchandising and promotion of seasonal foods.
- Provide provenance and heritage product information.
- Set up and close meat counter displays.
- Balance the customers’ needs with additional linked products and services such as marinades, and encourage customer loyalty and repeat business.
- Produce meat to the specific volume, size, and weight to meet the needs of stakeholders.
- Maximise the saleable yield for the business relating to carcases or primals.
- Contribute to efficiencies to support the key performance indicators (KPIs) of the business through working to agreed specifications for their role.
- Adhere to customer specifications and contracts.
- Contribute to foreign body control and metal detection.
- Meet key performance indicators within meat processing.
- Comply with regulations and legislation relevant to their role and business.
- Maintains and sharpens knives and cutting equipment.
- Manual handling of carcases or primals through the manufacturing or butchery process.
- Adhere to the organisational policies and standard operating procedures.
- Maintain the meat product to the given customer specification and food safety compliance and traceability procedures in the meat supply chain.
- Support colleagues in delivering the daily workplace requirements.
- Use technology and applications to support production, sales, and customer service.
- Contribute to continuous improvement activities which focus on improving sustainability within the business.
- Communicate with customers and stakeholders to meet their requirements.
- Process and dispose of waste material.
- Uses knives and cutting equipment to undertake a range of primary and secondary butchery skills.
Training schedule
- On-the-job training: Knife skills and practical butchery techniques will be taught daily by our experienced butchers.
- Classroom training: Apprentices will have dedicated theory sessions once a week in our brand-new classroom, supported by our Training & Education Manager.
- Provider support: Trainers from MEAT Ipswich will visit HG Walter every 8 weeks to review progress and provide additional guidance.
More training information
Our Training & Education Manager has over 15 years of global experience mentoring apprentices and developing young butchers.
We work with MEAT Ipswich, a national training organisation with more than 35 years’ experience delivering high-quality training in the fresh food and meat industry.
Many of our butchers have successfully completed their Level 2 Butchery Apprenticeship with MEAT Ipswich and gone on to build long-term, rewarding careers within the company.
We’re committed to giving apprentices hands-on experience, expert guidance, and opportunities to grow in a supportive, fast-paced environment.
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
Desirable qualifications
GCSE in:
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Communication skills
- IT skills
- Attention to detail
- Problem solving skills
- Number skills
- Team working
- Initiative
- Physical fitness
- Enthusiasm and a love for food
- Strong work ethic
- Reliable
- Willingness to learn
Other requirements
Applicants must be physically fit, as butchery is hands-on and active. Comfortable working with knives and sharp tools, and standing for long periods in refrigerated environments. Commitment to health and safety procedures. Able to work respectfully with a diverse team, including colleagues of all backgrounds, cultures, and genders. Must demonstrate a positive and inclusive attitude – we do not tolerate discrimination, sexism, homophobia, or any form of bigotry.
About this employer
HG Walter is an award-winning, family-run butcher in West London, supplying top restaurants and food lovers across the UK with high-quality, sustainably sourced meat. Since 1972, we’ve been known for our craftsmanship, care, and attention to detail. Our team is diverse and inclusive, with over 20 nationalities represented and women thriving at all levels of the business. We’re building a brand-new, purpose-built facility, featuring London’s largest dry-aging fridge, and a fun, supportive culture — complete with music while we work, team BBQs, and lively company events. We’re passionate about training and developing talent, offering apprentices hands-on experience, structured classroom learning, and guidance from experienced butchers and training specialists.
http://www.hgwalter.com (opens in new tab)
Company benefits
Free daily lunch Staff discount on premium cuts Regular team BBQs Fun company parties Career growth opportunities once qualified
After this apprenticeship
On successful completion of the apprenticeship, HG Walter can offer a permanent full-time position as a qualified Butcher. From there, you’ll have the opportunity to specialise in areas such as sausage and bacon manufacturing, carcass breakdown and dry-aging beef, precision portioning for our restaurant and wholesale partners, or retail butchery and customer service in our Barons Court shop.
For those eager to challenge themselves further, we also offer the Level 3 Butchery Apprenticeship, helping you develop advanced skills and open even more career opportunities. As a growing business with new roles developing all the time, HG Walter provides the platform to step up, specialise, and shape a long-term career in butchery.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
H G WALTER LIMITED
Alana Empson
apprenticebutcher@hgwalter.com
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000343860.
Apply now
Closes in 28 days (Friday 24 October 2025 at 11:59pm)
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