Shipping policy

The Fat Butcher is a trading name of Food Direction Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales under company number 13822023, with its registered office at Double Row, Seaton Delaval, Northumberland, NE25 0PP. This policy explains how and where we deliver. It should be read alongside our Refund & Returns Policy and our Terms of Service.

Where we deliver

We deliver to mainland England, Scotland and Wales using DPD.

We are currently unable to deliver to Ireland, Northern Ireland, the Scottish Highlands and Islands, the Isle of Man, the Isle of Wight and other remote islands. Because of the transit times involved for fresh, perishable product, we cannot deliver to the following postcode areas:

AB31–38, AB41–54, FK17–21, GY, HS1–9, IM, IV, JE, KA27–28, KW0–17, PA20–80, PH15–26, PH30–50, TR21–25 and ZE.

If your postcode is not served, you will not be able to complete checkout for delivery to that address.

Delivery charges

Our minimum order value is £45. Delivery is charged as follows:

• Orders of £89 or more: free delivery.
• Orders from £45 to £88.99: £4.99.

Delivery charges are shown at checkout before you pay.

Delivery days and scheduling

We ship Monday to Friday. At checkout you can choose your own delivery date up to two weeks in advance. We despatch your order the day before your chosen delivery date, so please make sure the date you select is one where your parcel can be received and refrigerated promptly.

We do not deliver on bank holidays. Once DPD has collected your order you will receive tracking details, and on the day of delivery you will receive an email and/or text with your estimated delivery time window.

Packaging and the cold chain

All of our meat is packed on ice in insulated packaging designed to keep your order cold for up to 72 hours in transit. Please note that this packaging keeps your food cold in transit — it is not a substitute for refrigeration once your parcel has been delivered.

Contactless “leave safe” delivery

All of our deliveries are contactless. Because we send fresh, perishable food, our couriers operate a “leave safe” service: the driver will leave your parcel on your doorstep or in a safe place rather than waiting for you to answer the door, and will not return perishable food to the depot.

You can set or change your preferred safe place directly with DPD through the DPD app once your parcel has been collected. We strongly recommend you do this, as it tells the driver exactly where to leave your order and helps make sure it can be brought indoors and refrigerated quickly.

Properties we cannot deliver to as standard

Because your order is fresh, perishable meat left on a contactless basis, our couriers need to be able to leave it at a private, accessible doorstep or a secure safe place that belongs to your address. For this reason we are not able to offer our standard service to:

• Flats and apartments within shared or multi-occupancy buildings;
• Any property with a communal, shared or controlled entrance — for example a shared hallway, lobby, reception or door-entry system;
• Caravan parks, holiday parks and residential park homes;
• Gated developments, or any address where the driver cannot reach your own door.

If you place an order to an address of this kind, we will email you before we despatch to ask you to confirm that you are happy for your parcel to be left in a nominated safe place at your own risk. If you reply to confirm, we will deliver on that basis, and responsibility for the parcel passes to you once it has been left in the agreed place. If we do not receive your confirmation by 12pm (noon) on the working day before your chosen delivery date, we will cancel your order and issue a full refund.

We do this to avoid perishable meat being left in an unsuitable shared area where it could spoil, be tampered with, or go missing.

When responsibility for your order passes to you

Until it is delivered, your order remains our responsibility. Responsibility passes to you when the parcel is delivered into your hands, or when it is left in a safe place that you have nominated or agreed to — including a safe place you have set via the DPD app, or a location you have confirmed by email for the property types described above.

Once your parcel has been left in your agreed safe place, we cannot accept liability for loss, theft or deterioration that results from it not being collected and refrigerated promptly. Please plan to be able to bring your order indoors on your chosen delivery date.

If you are not in and no safe place is available

If the driver cannot find a safe place and cannot deliver, the parcel may be left at your own risk or, in some cases, disposed of, as perishable food cannot be returned to the depot. This is why setting a safe place with DPD, and choosing a delivery date when your order can be received, is so important. If you have any concerns about access at your address, please contact us before you order.

Contact

Questions about delivery? Email us at customercare@thefatbutcher.co.uk (Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm).