An award-winning Oxford butchery business whose roots can be traced right back to the creation of Oxford's Covered Market, in the 18th century, now boasts state-of-the art technology which puts them in the forefront of 21st-century developments in the meat industry.

Butchers were the first traders to occupy the market when it opened at a cost of £5,647, having been built to eliminate congestion caused by throngs of shoppers buying their food from the messy, untidy stalls that spilled out into St Aldates and Queen Street. Town traders fought against the monopoly butchers in the market enjoyed. They called for the right to open shops in St Giles and elsewhere, as those living in areas such as Jericho found it too far to travel for their meat, fish and vegetables. By 1847, 27 town butchers sought permission to trade outside the market, but for some considerable time their applications were unsuccessful.

Now things have taken a complete U-turn. Traffic congestion caused by motor vehicles, rather than the horse and carriage, has become one of the factors motivating traders to move out of the market and into premises away from the city centre. Alden's of Oxford is one of them.

Alden's, the city's speciality catering butcher which supplies meat to 27 of the Oxford colleges, as well as many of our top hotels, restaurants and gastro-pubs, has now moved from the Covered Market to a high-tech premises at 2 Centremead, Osney Mead, a stone's throw from The Oxford Times offices. Managing director Matthew Alden is using modern technology to face the challenge of getting meat on the menu in a big way. Ever since the BSE outbreak a decade ago, when public confidence in beef began to waver, butchers have had to work hard to restore our faith in their products. Matthew is convinced his approach and his loyalty to local producers will do the trick.

While he admits the meat industry has been through some tough times, he believes positive things have come out of the crisis, including the public's heightened awareness of food labels. Watching customers pick up meat packs in his new cash and carry outlet has shown him that many are taking time to read the labels now.

As today's customer will find everything they could possibly want to know about the product on his Meatmaster labels, it's a very positive move forward and certainly in keeping with the many advances Aldens have made since moving to Osney Mead. Matthew wants his customers to be fussy. He certainly wants them to ask questions. By doing so, he believes they will come to recognise the merits in buying British meat and, most particularly, local produce. As a member of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, Alden's actively promotes the use of traditional breeds.

The cash and carry extension of the business is a new venture and unusual inasmuch as it's open to members of the public as well as those in the catering trade. This means that the competitive prices paid by colleges, restaurants and chefs are available to us all. In contrast to other cash and carry outlets, you don't have to register to shop at Alden's, Meatmaster; all you have to do is find the premises, which for those not familiar with the Osney Mead Trading Estate can be a problem.

Actually, it's easy once you have turned from the A420 Botley Road into Ferry Hinksey Road. It's just a matter of turning left at the mini-roundabout, then keeping your eyes open for the Meatmaster sign on the left. Here you can find all specialist butcher products, as well as value-added items, many of which are being created by a consultant development chef who is coming up with exclusive flavour ideas aimed at enhancing the meats. At the moment, he's working on a series of barbecue sauces and marinades ready for the barbecue season. It's hoped he will also come up with ideas for making more of locally produced wild boar and venison.

Matthew stresses that by opening his business to the general public he is not trying to compete with family butchers, who play such a valuable role in the community. He sees them as the bedrock of the trade, offering an invaluable service which can never be downgraded. He aims to provide products that will help fill the freezers and allow members of the public to bulk buy should they wish to. "I watch customers come in and look round. When they do pick up a pack of meat and begin reading the label, they often shake their heads, not being able to believe the prices," he said.

Cameras linked to the internet mean that customers can watch their order being prepared on a computer without them having to fight their way through the Oxford traffic to select their meat.

"The system is so good the camera can zoom in on items as small as the label on the pack, or show live pictures of our operation to potential customers," he boasts. The new system also records the temperature of the refrigeration units if there is the slightest fluctuation in the system it sends a warning text message to Matthew's telephone.

Since opening the new premises, Matthew has also landed several contracts with chefs at Cambridge University, which is something he's exceptionally proud of.