Hudson Meats closes Lane Cove and Toorak stores

A dire year for our big-name butchers just got worse, with parts of the Hudson Meats empire in liquidation.

Hudson, the retail meat creation of twin-hatted chef Colin Holt, has closed its Lane Cove outlet and Toorak store in Melbourne, adding to a contraction of the group that had already seen it pull out of the Rose Bay and Surry Hills precincts.

Food historians will record 2018 as the year when the specialist local butcher was placed on a watch list, with AC Butchery in Leichhardt and Terry Wright in Randwick both closing.

Holt, who worked at Bistro Moncur and owned the two-hat Bistro Pave before segueing into butchery, blamed a slew of factors for his predicament, including some landlords unsympathetic to retail conditions and the impact of the drought. "Lamb hit record prices a few weeks ago," he says.

Liquidator Jamieson Louttit wasn't available for comment, but a creditors meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday.

"One of them is just a shelf company," says Holt who maintains the hard decisions have been made and staff haven't lost jobs.

"We're tightening up because I think next year is going to be a tough year," he adds.

Hudsons' Drummoyne, Cammeray and Mosman stores remain open.