A skilled city butcher with an eye for a good recipe will be remembered as being curious about flavour by the hundreds of friends and customers he made over the years.
Brian Pickering at one point was the UK’s best butcher having won the title in 1987, winning a new van, and offered up to 30 different flavours of sausages during his busiest years.
Following his 18-month battle with pancreatic cancer Brian's family want to remember him for being a kind and loving family man who was determined to share the magic of food, as well as being a keen Canaries supporter and season ticket holder.
His daughter, Lucy Durant, 39, said: “Dad had a positive and optimistic outlook on the world, you don’t get that often so it was really special.
“He instilled a love of food and holidays into us as he loved to travel to get inspiration for new recipes.”
READ MORE: 'Backbone' of gin firm dies suddenly aged 50 at Christmas event
Brian took his children all over the world to places such as Florida, Thailand, Gambia, Sri Lanka and Spain – and everywhere he went he would try traditional food.
Lucy said: “When we came back home he would make something inspired by those flavours – his customers always said he was ahead of his time.
“He gave people the chance to try food from all over the world, things they would have never seen or heard of.
“We were the same, we never had freezer meals in the house, I remember us always moaning about it, but dad would feed us the highest quality food.
“His sausages and bacon were always my favourite.”
Brian was always destined to be a butcher, having taken over the trade from his grandad after moving to Costessey in 1958 – he soon opened up shops in Costessey, St Augustines Street and Norwich Market, as well as in Dereham.
His children believe he became so popular because he would always see the good in people and give people work who would ordinarily be turned away.
Lucy said: “He believed that everyone deserved a chance and he made it his mission to give as many people a chance as possible.
READ MORE: Call for friends to honour Norwich Market matriarch following her death
“He trained so many butchers, many of who went on to open their own butcher shops in the city.”
The Norwich Market stall was the last to close having stayed open until last year fronted by Brian’s son Nathan Pickering, 49, but his other daughter Kirby Pickering, 46, was also seen working at the Pickering stall over the years.
Lucy said: “Dad was still on the stall until a couple of years ago, he just loved it.”
Pickering Butchers was the first butcher shop in the area to offer gluten-free sausages and folk said the sausages were a cut above the competition due to the high meat content.
Brian died aged 81 on November 18 in his home surrounded by family.
READ MORE: Norwich Market legend who bought his mum a kitchen after Lotto win dies aged 64
Lucy added: “He loved Christmas, it was his favourite time of year, so it will be difficult without him here.
“We always looked forward to his incredible turkey which nothing could compare to.”
This year the family, including five of Brian's beloved grandchildren, will get together to share their happy memories.
A funeral will be held at St Edmunds Church in Costessey on December 14 with a wake to follow at Barnham Broom Golf Club.
Lucy said: “All are welcome and donations in dad's name can be made to East Anglia's Children's Hospices."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here