Shoppers who buy their beef and bacon from their local butcher are saving businesses in the county from the chop.

That is the verdict from those employed in the supply chain which takes food from the farm to the kitchen table.

This week, we launched our Support Your County campaign, encouraging readers to shop at small, local retailers to keep them going through the recession.

Buying from your local shop usually helps several other small businesses along the way.

For example, butcher Tim Preston, who runs Heards of Wigston, in Long Street, with his brother Paul uses a Leicestershire abattoir for all his meat deliveries.

He also stocks other local produce such as honey, jam and oils – saying he fully backs the Leicester Mercury campaign.

Tim said: "All of the food we sell comes from Leicestershire. The meat is delivered by a firm in Lutterworth, the pies and black puddings are made in Wigston.

"Everything we sell in this shop goes to helping local food producers. Without people coming in and buying the produce, most food makers wouldn't be able to stay open.

"Also, a lot of little shops like ours are like mini-social centres to some people – they like to come in for a good chat. We just try to provide them with quality meat and produce and some friendly service."

The shop's meat comes from the Joseph Morris Abattoir, in South Kilworth. It is one of many businesses which rely on independent butchers to keep trade going. The meat Heards of Wigston receives from Joseph Morris will not have travelled more than 20 miles from the farm to the abattoir to the shop.

Richard Morris, partner at Joseph Morris Butchers and Abattoir, said: "We get all of our meat from within 20 miles of the abattoir.

"We have to know where every single animal comes from, the cattle all have passports, which are like birth certificates, so we'll know how old they are and exactly where they're from.

"We supply a lot of butcher's shops in Leicestershire, and we count on people to use these shops in order to keep us going."

Halstead Farm, in Tilton on the Hill, supplies to Joseph Morris Butchers and Abattoir.

John Driver, from Halstead Farm, said: "We supplied Joseph Morris with 2,000 Christmas turkeys last year and we rely completely on local trade.

"All of our orders go to either individuals or butchers shops in Leicestershire, so they wouldn't travel more than about 20 or 30 miles before they're sold."

Shopper John Marvin, 69, a retired HGV driver from Wigston, also backed the Mercury campaign.

He said: "It's use it or lose it really. We like what Heards sells and there's the personal service you receive that you wouldn't get from a supermarket.

"I don't like to see the small man go. There are too many big businesses taking over. We shop here because it's a way of supporting local traders."