G Bolam Foods

Used to shop in Bolams but after moving home, never had the extra freezer. Finally got so off we went to fill it up. we got there at 2.45 because it shuts at 4.00 and all the shelves were almost empty. we thought we would get a couple of bits of the trollies anyway as seen as we were there. we had staff tuttuing at us because wewere in the road stopping them emptying the shelves and loading the trollies. food removed from under our noses as we were looking at it. Also noticed the packed food is not as good as it used to be, a lot less meat in the burgers and sausages but its certainly not cheap. End result is we will not shop there again.. we will go to a proper butchers who want our money...

the best quality beef, in the whole of the north of England,  for value, tenderness, I been a butcher for fifty years in hull.  mr bolam, you have got it right to a tee.

Super value delicious carvery style lunches for the not over fussy customer, bit of a canteen affair, but very popular & you have to be there early to beat the queues, takeaway lunches also available & afternoon teas & cakes. We always visit the shop side also, really good value compared to the supermarkets, good down to earth value, I can never understand those who are fussy about the quality of the packaging when it's the part you throw away, great fruit, bakery, sliced meats, cheeses etc etc, can't beat it. As for the dog food my 3 large dogs love it, if you currently buy pigs ears from the pet shops stop immediately & get them here, they don't have that horrible smoked smell that stinks the house out & my 3 love them!!!

If you want to eat top quality fresh meat then you have to shop at Bolams. Simply the best steak, scrumptious pork chops, leanest joints of lamb, awesome sausages and the tastiest angus burgers.

I now refuse to buy joints of meat from any supermarket as what you buy there is second rate when compared to the quality Bolams always provides.

The fruit and veg is superb, and the choice of meat is astounding - yes, it's a bit tatty round the edges compared to the average Asda or Tesco but the quality is great, as are the prices.

The bottom line is the quality of the produce. It is first class in my opinion. We arrived at 1.45pm and wanted to buy rib eye steaks. They were sold out and no more available that day. That tells me that the produce flies off the shelf and actually promotes Bolams in IMO. The counter where we buy our sausages had trays with nothing left. That tells me how good their stuff is!

We had a meal in the restaurant and it was superb. Great job.

The staff in this shop leave a lot to be desired .
After standing at the deli counter and having 3 girls looking at me,I was informed by a fellow customer that I needed a ticket to get served.
As soon as I pulled the ticket from the machine one sprang to life to serve me. Could one of them not have told me to get a ticket.
Considering I don't live near the place and have been a couple of times while visiting nearby, I can honestly say, today's my last visit.

I much prefer to get my meat from a local butcher than at the supermarkets as the quality is usually far superior and the price not a lot more. I usually go to Kitson’s in the Castlegate, Stockton, but a friend has always raved on about Bolams so I thought I would give it a try.

Initial impressions were great – the place was pretty big and it was almost like a supermarket on its own. I ended up leaving with a pack of 20 chicken breasts for £21, as well as a pack of black pudding, 2 packs of minced lamb (buy one get one free), 2 corn on the cobs, a pack of back bacon, a handful of limes & some tripe cat food. I forget the overall price but it represented pretty good value for money so I was quite pleased.

I’ll discuss each item seperately:

Chicken Breasts – these were a good size, however quite a lot of unappetising bloody meat/fat hanging off the bottom of each one. I suppose for the money you cant really complain as I usually pay £10 for 6 at Kitsons, but these are perfectly trimmed and ready to use wheras I feel like I’ve had to do some cutting work on each of these before they were able to use, but once it was done it tasted ok. Represented good value for the amount that I got, just a bit of a PITA to prepare.

Black pudding – probably the worst item I got. I love black pudding! I know i am in the minority but I think it is ace. Well I fried this up with some bacon and there was massive and i mean MASSIVE lumps of fat in the black pudding, you usually expect some, but urgh. once it was cooked (And these parts were picked out) the taste was quite bland and unappealing. major disappointment #1

Bacon – prepared with the black pudding. I am a huge fan of the kitsons bacon at £10 for 30 meaty strips and these were a similar size but a little cheaper. visually they were some way behind kitsons, again large amounts of fat on each piece and often small pieces of bone at the end as well which put me off a bit. once trimmed it tasted ok, although definitely preferred kitsons quality.

Limes – couldln’t fault them! Think it was something like 12p a lime which is a bargain.

corn on the cob – again good value, hard to mess up corn though really?

Tripe cat food – the cats were initially intrigued and at the cost i paid for a huge dollop i thought this was going to be a winner, however after one bite they both turned their noses up at it and it all ended up going in the bin!

Mince – one of the things that you should definitely get from the butcher. its almost always better quality and less fatty than supermarket mince. maybe its cos i got the mince that was on the special offer with buy one get one free, but this was really low grade mince, think supermarket own brand value range,and maybe a peg below that. I made two shepherds pies with the mince and I couldnt finish either of them 0- every couple of mouthfuls I got a chewy piece of gristle. I know I am a total jack spratt when it comes to fat in meat, and i know mince contains fat, but it shouldn’t feel like i am chewing a pig’s knuckle?!

Overall I would recommend this place for its produce – they looked like they had a good range of cheeses that i would like to try, and things like king prawns, milk, fruit etc i will probably try again, however once these chicken breasts have run down i think its worth paying a couple of quid more at my local butchers than bulk buying lesser quality meats & I was pretty disappointed with that side of things. I might try a few other things to give them another chance though.

Never had a bad cut of meat, piece of veg or any baked goods from here which was not absolutely first class. Never mind the nockers give it a try – it fits for me and will do for most other people. I usually judge a butcher on his sausages, if they shrink like most British made sausages do, get them here or buy German. This place offers you the chance to buy half a pig – cow – lamb at reasonable prices. For what I paid in Asda for 2 joints of lamb and some chops, I got half a lamb and it was quality.
Can’t say enough about the staff either, even the young ones who only grunt in clothes shops will engage in normal coversation, are very helpful and obliging. Make sure you have freezer space before going as you will spend more than you thought – as it is so tempting.

I was shocked at the sheer size, the veg and fruit were fantastic quality and price. The meat was of good quality and the prices were very cheap just goes to show the profit supermarkets make.
First time I’ve been and it won’t be the last, the cafe was clean and down to earth with ex-large portions of fresh delicious food cooked the traditional way and recipes, my dinner was delicious and in todays times it’s nice to see a company making money but also not ripping off its customers which more often than not happens wherever you go.
Well Done to owners and staff, keep up the good work.

Great value for money for everything including the meats, bakery items and cakes, fish counter, cheeses, fruit and veg, cold meats, and other deli items, they also make up sandwiches to take away. They sell inexpensive bird food and dog food. The birds love the food, not bought the dog food as yet, maybe in future to give my dogs a change.

We always enjoy the products from Bolams and restock monthly.

If you dont see the size of meat you need ask the butchers and they will get or cut it to the size you require.

You can purchase full sides of beef, pork, lamb and full fillets if you wish to do so.

The cafe although basic to look at sells nice breakfasts and tasty lunches at great prices.

There are a lot of parking spaces however as a disabled person feel there should be more for the disabled visitor.

NOT cheap just very good value for your money.

Fruit and veg the best for miles around always top quality. Deli, you will not get better

Bakery, always fresh, always good.

Dog and Bird food cant be bought better anywere.

Local residents are very lucky.

Keep up the good work

Well, Bolams is cheap and easy food (easy as in I live just down the road).

There is a huge verity of produce you can purchase here, from bread, veg, sandwiches and meat.

Prices are usually cheaper then supermarket food, which makes it very popular, and one of the biggest butchers I've ever been to.

There is a down side, the place could do with some sort of refurbish to bring it up to standards with a supermarkets, as it seems a bit run down and "tatty round the edges"

I would say the place is alright... not good and not bad (although the smell the place puts out can be smelt all around Sedgefield)

I have to say I do not like this place. Part of the reason for that is most likely that I rarely eat meat and find the over powering smell of raw meat in the parking area and the stor itself really nauseating. On hot days the smell is stomach churning and the car park swarms with flies.

In addition to the masses of meat available here there is a also a fair selecrion of fruit and vegetables. Sometimes there is local produce but I am yet to see any organic stuff here. Prices are slightly lower than the supermarkets which attracts custom and in turn ensures that there is a high enough turnover for things to be fresh. All of the fruit and veg I have had from here is fresh.

There is an in house bakery which sells breads and cakes. Ingredients are not listed on all of their bakery products making it very difficult to shop there of there are any allergies in the family. What bread I have bought here has been fine.

There is also a fish and a cheese counter. Much of the fish appears to be frozen as opposed to fresh so you would not be able to freeze at home.

The cafe is basic and in keeping with the whole place - stack it high and sell it cheap!

The cafe / canteen is rough, ready and mainly used by either the local industry, pensioners or customers who’s prefers low value, cheap heavy loaded, pilled high plates of food rather than on quality. My experience is that you can eat enough yourself for your full family for a very cheap price but towards the end of the serving shift the food is either cold or well withered.
The shop has really come on from what it used to be when you could buy limps of meat in packaging that was dripping in blood and it was all a rough and ready experience. Nowadays, they have a fish counter, deli, good value – good quality fruit and veg etc but to me the meat is still just meat with no idea of where it is from.

More than just a local butchers, this shop is set out like a little supermarket. while not for the veggies among us sells a lot more than just meat. There are fresh baked goods, including delicious cakes and a well stocked deli with cheeses, cooked meats etc. You can buy large packs at cheap pprices or just exactly what you need from the counters. A good find.

Great local butcher, cheaper than the supermarkets and high quality. Friendly staff and innovative ideas for more than just slabs of meat.