H. Forman & Son for the world's finest smoked salmon

 Tuesday 12 June  2018

H. Forman & Son for the world's finest smoked salmon

Once again those members of the Cripplegate Ward Club who booked themselves on this event found the day dawned bright and sunny. Perfect for a mid-afternoon trek out to the far reaches of Stratford and Fish Island on Tuesday, 12 June.

The more adventurous of us decided to use public transport all the way either going to Stratford and hailing a Hackney Carriage for the ten minute drive to Fish Island, others hailed the local bus service, while some travelled to Pudding Mill Lane on the DLR and walked from there. On arrival, many confessed their shortcomings in map reading or the direction the bus should have been travelling. Nevertheless, adventures over they all made it on time. The Master met up with her party at Stratford and took the overground one stop to Hackney Wick to walk the eight minutes to Formans. Easy when you have done it before and it is to be recommended.

The route takes you through a former industrial landscape with graffiti redolent of the Berlin Wall, now transformed into an area of pop up restaurants and bars full of young professionals after work, down onto a towpath (mind the cyclists) along the Hackney Cut. This is part of the Regent’s Canal network, on which are moored narrow boats, many modestly and lovingly transformed with imagination and creativity to very cosy looking homes bedecked with Babylonian gardens. On the other side of the canal, once affordable, treasured new apartments for young professionals now disport themselves. Both these habitations have a wonderful tranquil view up and down the canal and on a glorious day, what could be better?

We were very early. Beguiled by the landscape we decided to stop at a canal side internet café complete with young men of creative appearances earnestly tapping away on their laptops. On the ground floor of a new building but arranged very basically to reflect industrial impermanence we were served excellent coffees and delicious cake at today’s prices reflecting no doubt the economic impermanence of ‘affordable’. Feeling somewhat overdressed, we sat in the sun on their decked verandah held together with sailing wire (known as sheets) and surrounded by more vegetation. We nearly forgot our mission and stayed for the duration.

Over the canal on the modern bridge, we hastened through ever more graffiti. Which I know Barbican residents would truly appreciate following the very successful Basquiat exhibition which closed in the Barbican Art Gallery at the end of January and we arrived at Formans in time to see some of our members decanting from a black cab.

Formans take their responsibility to their consumers very seriously. Fresh from our training in completing the GDPR form, Cripplegate members duly sat down to complete a lengthy questionnaire on their travels and health in the previous three months. The Master was relieved when all the guests were given the all clear to enter the smoke house, wearing protective clothing, after Lance Forman’s short talk on what to look for in good quality smoked salmon and his struggle with the London Development Authority who told him that his newly rebuilt smoke house was the future Olympic running track.

The highlight of the evening was Darren who demonstrated the preparation of smoked salmon on a side of farmed salmon and then a side of wild salmon. Darren holds the Guinness Book of Record’s record for speed in taking the pin bones out of a side of salmon. A veritable showman with many years’ of experience preparing the finest quality smoked salmon for the UK and now the world market. We all now know what a razor sharp salmon knife can do and the different ways of slicing fine salmon for the UK and the continental market.

After the demonstration, we enjoyed a truly wonderful supper starting with a generously portioned first course of Forman’s smoked salmon which everyone had chosen. All the more enjoyable as we all now had an informed palate. Smoked salmon we were told by Lance should never taste of smoke and should be eaten as fresh as possible without lemon juice as correctly smoked it should not be greasy. London cure smoked salmon has now received protected status from the EU. The wines, chosen for us to accompany the food, were delicious and from English vineyards.

After dinner everyone was given the opportunity to shop for Britain’s finest foods as Formans very kindly opened their in-house shop for us for a short time. Lance made available signed copies of his book on his experiences with the LDA.

I would like to thank you all for showing your appreciation and enjoyment of this event at the time. I hope you did not have too much difficulty getting home with all your purchases. Just remember how much you enjoyed the delicious food you brought back to the comfort of your homes and how much more comfortable and cleansing a lighter wallet feels at the end of the day.

Mary Nurse
Master

Supporting Information

H Forman & Son
World's finest smoked salmon
Fish Island
E3 2NT

http://www.formans.co.uk/