About Us

Established in the mid 1800s, AJ Barkaway have provided the people of Kent with a high quality butchers service for well over a century.

It began when four brothers left Norfolk in the mid 1800's to each open their own butchers shop in the Kent area. The picture below was taken in 1905 and shows Alfred Barkaway outside his shop in West Malling, the boy next to him is his son William.

Chris Barkaway, the present proprietor, has now been joined in the business by his son Paul who is the sixth generation of the family to carry on this ancient trade. He joins a team of skilled butchers some of whom have been with us for over 35 years!

We have always used only the finest meats, sourcing local produce and winning many awards which we are justifiably proud of. We exceed all Environmental Health Standards in our work and are also one of only 130 butchers in the country awarded the Guild of Q Butchers quality standard.

Barkaways is very much a family butchers that offers value for money and service with a smile. Many of our customers are now very familiar faces that have used us for years. We look forward to you visiting us or taking advantage of our home delivery or catering service!