Thank you Fred!
In 1965 Yolanda and Fred de Leeuw took over Slagerij De Leeuw, previously owned by his father. They turned it into not only the best butcher in Amsterdam, but also the place to go for excellent home-made pastrami, the most delicious Bresse chicken and their smoked sausages. They started importing truffles for Urbani, had the best US beef and later the prestigious Kobe beef. Every Christmas they would have a brochure with an overview of culinary products (all home-made) and exceptional food. How about Chapon de Bresse (en demi-deuil) or Pauillac Lamb?
For Fred and Yolanda it was not about extravagance or running an expensive shop. It was about quality. About offering the very best to their customers. And yes, it was expensive, but it’s better to enjoy excellent pork once a week than eating mediocre meat every day of the week from poor animals stuffed with antibiotics. They retired in 2000, but their philosophy continues to be important.
In an interview with Fred and Yolanda, published last year, they make a number of interesting comments, for instance: “It’s better for everybody to grow less animals on more ground during a longer period. Better for the farmer, better for the animal and better for the consumer.”
We couldn’t agree more. Such a pity we continue to rush to supermarkets, the cheapest salmon, the cheapest chicken, more for less, without worrying too much about animal welfare, quality, taste and the impact on the environment and the climate.
We can hear you thinking: “So you’re saying the poor should eat beans and turnips, leaving the meat for the rich and well to do?”
Of course we don’t.
We’re saying that we all should understand that meat is an expensive product. And that three chicken wings for just €2,90 is only possible if the chickens live an awful life.
We are part of a vulnerable eco-system and we should help protecting it.
Fred de Leeuw passed away on October 21st 2023. We will remember him for his passion for quality and we thank him and Yolanda for sharing it with us. The last time we met, summer 2023, Yolanda and Fred talked with so much enthusiasm about a new restaurant they discovered, a restaurant focused on vegetables.
Fred said: “We’re butchers and we will always be butchers, but you won’t believe how delicious their food is.”