Barbecoa Butchery - EC4

In my lovely walk around the City yesterday (love the City on weekends - so peaceful and so much to see when you're rambling rather than dodging stressed out bankers) the last thing I expected to do was buy bacon.  I had been on the hoof for some time (failed mission to find the mouth of the Fleet River at Blackfriars Bridge - high tide d'oh! - and then successful mission to locate the London Stone) and I really needed caffeinating so was heading to Bea's in One New Change, when I stumbled across this crazy but kinda wonderful butcher's.  Linked to Jamie Oliver's Barbecoa restaurant (to which I haven't been and which has had a bit of a critical pasting) this is the sort of butcher's shop you wish was in your neighbourhood - old school in totally modern surroundings.  All gleaming glass and steel contrasted with hanging carcasses and cuts of meat straight out of Smithfields Market.  I couldn't resist some plump bangers and some smoked bacon (had them for breakfast this morning - lovely) and as always I ended up with stuff that looked good but that I didn't really need (in this case an overpriced jar of raspberry jam and a copy of Jamie's mag).  If I worked in the City this place would be a regular stop-in for me - so much nicer to buy the protein for your evening meal from a butcher's shop than a supermarket.  I did wonder how much business they do but even on a lonely Sunday there were three other customers in there with me so I imagine during the week they must do a healthy trade.  Oh yeah and of course the coffee and red velvet cupcake at Bea's next door was just what the doctor ordered.