Salal's Halal Butchery Mediterranean Imports & Bakery on Lincoln Road in Addington, Christchurch, pairs a halal butcher with Mediterranean groceries and a bakery, earning a 4.8 rating from 508 reviewers who praise the fresh, well-priced meat, spotless displays and shelves of Arabic and Mediterranean staples.
A good halal butcher is part guide, part shopkeeper: the meat is prepared to Islamic requirements, but the real knowledge shows at the counter, where a skilled cutter dices goat for curry, butterflies lamb for the grill and knows which cut wants long, slow cooking. Goat, leaner than lamb, rewards a braise, so it is worth asking for curry-cut pieces rather than unfamiliar chops. Many such shops also vacuum-pack and box meat for travel, a courtesy that matters when it is flying overseas with you.
For Addington cooks chasing proper goat or lamb, Salal's counter on Lincoln Road is the kind of place that turns a quick errand into a weekly habit.