Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Sad loss of prized butcher
JAMIE hadn’t long left the house when he rang. “Is everything OK?” I asked. “Not really,” he said.
My mind raced. Was everyone OK?
“Why, what’s happened?”
“The butcher in Newtyle – Jimmy Pirie – he’s closed down. There’s a notice on the door to say that after 60-odd years, sadly he’s shutting up.”
Once I got over the relief everyone was safe and well, I had to agree – the news was sad.
We are spoilt for choice when it comes to butchers in and around Dundee, whether – to name but a few – West End, Macdonald or Scott Brothers or Grossett’s, led by the charismatic Gilbert.
And it’s my humble opinion that no one says ‘half a pound of polony’, like a Dundonian.
But Pirie’s – James Pirie and Sons of Newtyle – was something else. Every time a pal came from England, we’d treat them to a Pirie Scotch pie. Not any Scotch pie but officially, the best in the world.
Numerous times, the esteemed butcher won the global competition, held in various locations around the world, for his recipe. So highly regarded was it, a competitor from Canada once posed as a customer in the Newtyle shop, to enquire about the ingredients. Pirie and his staff weren’t fooled and kept schtum.
And the beef fillet. I have never and, doubtful ever will, taste anything like theirs. It was so tender it felt like it melted in your mouth, our go-to for a special occasion with family or friends.
I hope Mr Pirie and his staff know how valued they were. I hope they had an almighty send-off and I hope he enjoys a well-earned retirement.
He’s just one person but Dundee is full of single people who made a lasting difference.
Only the other day I was sad to learn the whirlwind that is Margaret Mather had hung up her showbiz shoes.
Sad because I didn’t know of the show staged for her send-off – with acts from all over Dundee performing in her honour. I wish I’d known and been there. When I was a wee girl, she led Junior Showtime, putting on brilliant musicals at Whitehall Theatre.
How many kids did she inspire to perform? How many remember her shows with misty eyes?
My own single mum sent me to her classes – and I didn’t realise until reading about her in a farewell piece in this paper, that she was a single mum herself who set up the groundbreaking club in 1968.
The thing about being from a certain place is that the connections and memories you have of it are particular to you and your people.
It’s a love story, not just of this city, but of the people who have made a difference to your life, big or small.
Retirement makes their contribution no less special or important.
It’s when I write about the people of Dundee – whether tennis coaching with Dave Gordon, the waitress in Frankie Davies or the handsome teenager who worked at the Esplanade Fair – that I often get the biggest funnies and sometimes most moving response in my inbox from you.
These people, who push the boundaries whether musical or mince, are remembered and loved. I hope they know that.