Provenance

FROM SCOTTISH WATERS TO YOUR TABLE

Our commitment to exceptional salmon begins in the clean, cold waters of Scotland’s west coast, where the Atlantic meets some of the purest waters in the British Isles. Within 2–3 days of being harvested, our salmon arrives at our London smokehouse—a speed unmatched by competitors relying on Norwegian imports that can take 5–7 days. This swift journey from sea to smokehouse preserves the delicate freshness that defines our product, ensuring that the natural oils and flavours remain at their peak when they reach our craftsmen’s hands.

The proximity of Scottish waters to our London premises is no accident—it represents a deliberate choice to work within a supply chain we can trust, with experts we know, and with salmon that has spent the minimum possible time in transit. This is how smoked salmon should be produced: with care and with an unwavering focus on quality and freshness over convenience.

THE ART OF HANDLING FISH BY HAND

While machine slicing offers speed and uniformity, it lacks the discernment required to truly respect the fish. Machines slice in a fixed, standardised way, unable to recognise when valuable flesh is being wasted or to respond to the natural variations of each fish. By contrast, our expert slicers carefully assess the quality of every salmon — reading the grain, texture, and colour — and adjust their approach accordingly. This human judgement ensures precision, minimises waste, and honours the integrity of the fish in a way no machine ever could.

THE LONDON CURE:
A TIME-HONOURED METHOD

For over a century, H. Forman & Son has perfected the London Cure, a distinctive method that harmonises salt, air drying, and smoke to achieve our signature delicate flavour. These traditional techniques, refined across four generations of the Forman family, represent far more than mere process—they embody our steadfast commitment to excellence and our profound respect for the craft that has sustained us since 1905.

The London Cure differs markedly from other smoking methods. Where some producers rely on heavy smoking to create a pronounced flavour, we take a fundamentally different approach. For commercial reasons, a large portion of UK producers use fish imported from Norway or the Faroe Islands, often masking the compromised freshness with excessive smoke and sugar. We source our salmon exclusively from Scotland, where proximity ensures exceptional freshness from water to smokehouse. This allows us to celebrate the fish’s natural character rather than conceal it—our philosophy is simple: when your salmon is this fresh, the fish should always be at the forefront.

Yet heritage alone does not define us. We’ve pioneered an innovative smoking technique that grinds logs of premium oak to create smoke through friction rather than the combustion of sawdust—a method employed by most food producers. This system offers us precise control over smoke quantity and wood quality, ensuring every element meets our exacting standards. Remarkably, our process uses approximately four times less wood than traditional sawdust smokers, making it both more sustainable and more efficient whilst maintaining the exceptional quality and taste for which we are renowned.

The result is a product of exceptional subtlety and depth—one that reflects both the quality of the fish and the skill of our smokehouse team. This is not a method that can be rushed or replicated by industrial processes. It requires patience, expertise, and an intimate knowledge of how salmon behaves throughout the curing and smoking journey. It is, quite simply, the way smoked salmon ought to be made.

OUR RIVER TWEED WILD SALMON

The River Tweed, one of Scotland’s most celebrated salmon rivers and a waterway steeped in centuries of angling tradition. We have the rare privilege that connects us to a rich fishing heritage and ensures access to some of the world’s finest wild salmon—fish that have lived freely in their natural habitat, feeding on the abundant marine life of the North Atlantic before returning to spawn in the Tweed’s historic waters.

Wild salmon from the Tweed possesses a character entirely distinct from farmed alternatives. The flesh is firmer, the flavour more pronounced, and the colour a deeper pink hue. These fish have earned their place through survival and strength, and that vitality is evident in every slice. Our exclusive arrangement with the Tweed represents not merely a commercial relationship but a partnership built on shared values: respect for tradition, commitment to provenance, and an uncompromising dedication to quality.

Our connection to the River Tweed is a privilege we hold with profound reverence. This is not merely a commercial arrangement but a partnership rooted in shared values: respect for centuries of angling tradition, unwavering commitment to provenance, and an uncompromising dedication to quality. The Tweed’s waters have sustained generations of fishermen, and we honour that legacy in every wild salmon we cure.