Supplier profile: Severn and Wye Smokery

We thought we’d let you know a little more on the smoked mackerel you’ll find in our brand new grain bowls.

The mackerel is supplied by the clever folks at Severn & Wye Smokery, who are based on the edge of the Forest of Dean, positioned between the two rivers that share their name.

They’ve been supplying the delicious smoked salmon that you’ve been enjoying with scrambled eggs for the past 18 months and we were keen to see what else they were getting up to. They’ve supplied the likes of Harrods, The Ritz and Selfridges, so you know it’s tried and tested. Kris (the ‘Head Smoker’) and his team use traditional techniques, still predominately by hand, including chipping their own oak for smoking, which gives the fish a fuller flavour.

They’re very much our kind of business.

Most importantly, all the fish is MSC accredited. They seek out ways to minimise their environmental impact and have worked with local sawmills to repurpose excess wood. Over the past 20 years they have felled only 5 oak trees and to replace them have planted over 350 deciduous trees (oak, ash, horse chestnut etc). They’re also awaiting planning permission for their own wind turbine to power their smoker, good on them.

And for taste, well, it’s frankly delicious and tops our grain bowl perfectly. As opposed to smoked salmon which is cold smoked (the fish is hung in a different chamber to an extinguished fire and the smoke is piped in), the mackerel we use is hot smoked – the fish fillets are laid over a fire to take in all the oak flavours during the cooking to give the fish its distinctive taste.

The smokiness this adds to the fish balances the flavours of the grain bowl. Tangy pickled beets and harissa spices complement the cool yoghurt and smooth avocado, which is crowned perfectly by the delicious richness of the mackerel.

We just know you’re going to love it as much as we do.

To find out more about Severn & Wye visit their website.

The smokery is great for a day out too. You can see how they do things, and stop for a bite to eat.