CELEBRITY chef television programmes are really bringing home the bacon for a Worcester butcher's shop.

Matthew Nelmes, of M&M Meats in St Swithins Street, said: "You only have something used on TV for there to be a queue of people asking for it the next day.

"So perhaps we should get some tripe in, after Gordon Ramsay used it in his last show.

"Programmes like Gordon's The F-Word, Masterchef and even Gillian McKeith's You Are What You Eat show how eating good quality fresh produce can be easy, interesting and most of all good for you.

" Each week we have customers asking for items which have been featured on the shows, so obviously the message is getting through.

"With so much media attention focusing on local produce and traceability, the awareness has helped drive business back to independents, where customers can question the origin of produce, seek advice on methods of cooking, cuts for recipes and assistance with the more difficult tasks such as boning and rolling meats."

M&M Meats, which took over the former Dewhurst Butchers shop in the centre of Worcester, is celebrating its first anniversary this coming weekend.

Owner Mr Nelmes said: "I can hardly believe it's been a year already, the time has just flown by, but it has been a great first year for us. The people of Worcester have been extremely supportive and we have a good stream of regular customers who come in to buy their meat, which seeing as they had never heard of us before is a fabulous endorsement."

M&M Meats is a family-run business which was established in 1984 and has other outlets in Evesham and Cheltenham.