For well over a century now the McKee family has been trading in Maghera.
Established in 1898 by William Hill McKee, the grandfather of the present owner, George McKee, they have always had a great reputation as family butchers known for the quality of their meats - much of it from their own family farm - but since the 1980's they have been especially renowned for their homemade pies.
An early example of diversification, this change of direction came about because George's sister, Iris, started making home cooked pies in her spare time to sell in the shop.
Iris's magnificent pies were so popular that a dedicated pie factory was set up in 1986, to produce her famous pies and other deli items like sausage rolls, coleslaw, stuffing and lasagne, which extended their existing butchers range of traditional sausages, burgers and prepared meats.
Today, having renovated and modernised the premises, McKees has returned to its original shop on Main Street. Here, they still sell great meat and offer a full range of family butchery services but, thanks to Iris, the name is now is synonymous with quality pies.
