Take a look inside new Hastings butcher's shop

Beak & Tail is based in Robertson Street and run by brothers Sean and Tom Conneely, who have worked most of their lives as butchers.

The shop’s first day of trade was very busy and customers were treated to venison sausages as free samples.

Ahead of today’s opening, Sean said the brothers had worked ‘around the clock’ refitting the premises before finally opening.

Sean, 30, said he started as a Saturday boy, working for Steve Polley in Lydd when he was 12. He finished school when he was 16 and did an NVQ.

He then worked for Jamie Oliver for one year in his now closed butchers called Barbacoa in St Pauls, London, which led to him being sponsored for 16 months to work in San Francisco as a butcher.

On his return from the USA, he worked for John Howe in New Romney butchers, then worked for Jamie Wickens, The Ship in Winchelsea Beach.

He said: “I spent one year working for H.G Walters, arguably the most popular and biggest butchers in London. I worked in the unit on the Park Royal estate. This is by far the largest place I've worked, with more than 200 staff working here in the wholesale unit, which from here they supplied The River Caffe, Harrods, La Petit Mason, Tom Kerridge, Patty & Bun, to name a few.

“I then spent a year in Provenance butchers in Chelsea just of Sloane Square on Pavilion Road. I was then offered a role from Notting Hill Meat and Fish to manage there store just off Portobello Road. This was my first role as a manager so I learned a lot rather quickly and this is where I befriended my now business partner Andrew Wrong.”

Tom, 28, spent most of his time more locally and returned to the butchery trade six years ago, working at The Ship in Winchelsea Beach for Jamie Wickens for four years before working in Tenterden Farm butchers for John Howe and then came back to Rye butchers to work for Steve Polley.