BUTCHERS say business has been boosted by widespread concern over supermarket food in the wake of the horse meat scandal.
Hull traders believe buyers are returning to trusted shops sourcing their own English meat.
Many firms buy their beef, lamb and pork from East Yorkshire, through suppliers they know personally.
Craig Kipling, who runs TL Norman butchers in Princes Avenue, west Hull, said customers were prepared to spend more to be sure they were getting what they paid for.
He said: "We've had new people coming through saying they're fed up of supermarket meat. We purchase our stuff, we cut it up, we source it and we've got traceability records.
"It's all legitimate and we have certificates.
"Every carcass you get has all the data you need and we display it for our customers."
The scandal engulfing Tesco, Asda, Lidl and Aldi came to light after tests last month revealed products contained horse DNA. The meat involved had been used in burgers and ready meals.
As the crisis continued, it implicated a complex chain of suppliers, processors and freezing companies stretching across Europe.
Hull firm Flexi Foods found itself at the centre of the controversy when samples of Polish meat it sold to an Irish company were found to be up to 80 per cent horse.
The company's head office in Inglemire Lane was raided by Food Standards Agency officers on Thursday morning.
With the uncertainty surrounding supermarket meat, Mr Kipling said he was not surprised to see many customers coming back to independent shops.
He said: "They've forgotten what an old-style butchers is like.
"People get to trust us. It's the only way we've survived.
"If I'm spending my own money on meat, it's got to be right."
SJ Donaldson's Butchers in Newland Avenue, west Hull, has also seen more new customers through the doors.
Owner Stuart Donaldson said: "Business is up. It's definitely making a bit of a difference.
"It's not old customers coming back – it's new customers coming in.
"We don't go for pre-packed meat.
"If my product is labelled as minced beef, it's 100 per cent minced beef. I can track my animals back to the farm on which they were born."
