Going Green in Berlin…

International Green Week in Berlin is a food and farming exhibition like no other I have ever experienced. Set in 25 huge exhibition halls it houses a massive collection of food, animals, poultry, equipment and people from all over Europe. I was there last weekend, to help out with a presentation on the European Commission’s stand about Food from Argyll and our particular area of food production. I had boxed up a selection of Argyllshire produce which flew out ahead of us and by some miracle managed to get delivered to the right stand. Barbreck Haggis, Churchill venison sausages, Fyne Ales, Jura whisky, Loch Fyne salmon, Bumble Puddings, Argyll smokery pates, Inverloch cheeses, Henshelwoods Chutneys  and Crystals shortbread provided a feast for the visitors who all responded enthusiastically. We had to share the ‘backstage’ kitchen with two voluble French chefs from Luxembourg who were preparing for a cooking demonstration later that afternoon. Suffice to say space was tight and as show time approached we got everyone sticking cocktail sticks in sausages/cheese etc.

Unpacking the produce backstage

The other Scottish representatives ( Fergus and Colin) wore their kilts which helped swell the crowd, though given the vast array of other national dress on display, they were not out of place.

Fergus Younger

Once we had finished our presentation and the French chefs took over the stand we had a chance to wander round the exhibition. It took 2 hours simply to walk through all the halls without really stopping.  There was everything from a self-milking cow shed set up where live cows were milked by a robot when they felt like it, to a working windmill and more beer and sausages than you would probably need in several lifetimes. There were whole halls dedicated to angling, with huge fish tanks of live fish and small children wielding fishing rods around. Music also played a big part with Brass bands, a polish choir, and long Alpine horns.

Working windmill in the Dutch Hall

The only odd thing was the lack of any visable British representation apart from us.

Alpine Horns. Next time we'll take our bagpipes...

So we were glad to be there and to be flying the flag for Argyll and Scotland. Barbreck’s Haggis was so popular that a couple I had kept back in case needed later then disappeared by the time we came to clear up. We suspect the French chefs, and have taken it as a compliment.

Past the shortest day

Sunset in Glen Fyne

Yesterday (22^nd December) was the shortest day which is always a mile stone for those of us who long for more daylight in our lives!  Our days in Argyll are still very much governed by the seasons and you can see why there are so many festivals at this time of year from Halloween ( when the clocks go back)  through to Christmas, New Year, 12^th Night and Burns Night, as we need serious cheering up during the dark days.

We can  throw in an extra New Year if we like,  as the Old New Year falls on the 11^th Jan.  This was the date for New Year before the calendars changed in 1660. Our village Cairndow is even quoted by Neil Munro’s  Para Handy as being where “they keep the two New years”.

As a business the seasons also play a major part as demand rises and falls according to the time of year and the seafood and shell fish we are producing varies with the seasons. Just now we are at the end of our busiest two months where everyone has been working all hours to ensure all orders are met. Any parts of the business which are slightly quieter in November and early December, such as the Oyster Bar and the Shop, lend a hand back of house with wrapping all the fragile items for the Home Delivery service, working in the slicing room and helping out on the phones.

Happy Christmas

Christmas Eve always brings a sense of relief and this year for the first time in several years we have had a week free from any major transport issues, so the relief is even more palpable. As our production staff gradually head home to their families, some of whom are as far away as Latvia and Poland, we look forward to the days getting longer and start planning for the Spring and Summer. Meanwhile the Oyster Bar and Farm Shop are looking forward to a busy two weeks as travelers head north.

Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas and as many New Years as you care to celebrate!

An interesting December…

I know we talk alot about the weather and I have been trying to avoid blogging about it BUT in celebration of our main route (A83 Rest and Be Thankful) opening up again to traffic 24/7 and given the dramatic nature of the weather during the last month  I think the time has come….

 

So we started with 2 weeks of torrential rain (our full monthly quota in 3 days which for Argyll is quite something) which led to a landslide closing the Rest. 80 tons of mud and rock came down on a stretch of road which has been experiencing landslips over the past 10 years. One of the latest theories is that this is because there aren’t the sheep that there used to be on the hills who would have compacted the soil and kept it stable ( not sure that sheep are that heavy). Anyway the gallant team in Transport Scotland got it shifted but remained nervous and so opened it during day light hours which lead to big queues morning and evening and a lot of people having a frantic short working day. Then it started snowing quite a lot so out came the snow ploughs. Then we had the BIG GALE which was enough to close every other route out of Cairndow and give our mussel farmers a really sleepless night as they envisaged their mussel lines disappearing towards the Atlantic.

 

 

It also led to some very exciting times for lorry drivers on top of the Rest:

Rest and Be Thankful 8th December 2011, Photo copywrite of Richard Hunt-Smith

 

Since then we have had more snow and heavy frosts,  but now  we seem to be in a period of relative  calm (fingers crossed) and feel ready for whatever comes our way. The mussel farm didn’t blow away, all deliveries are getting in and out, the Oyster Bar and Farm shop stayed open throughout, no one was hurt.  Bring on Christmas!

 

Butterbridge, below the Rest and Be Thankful, 13th December 2011

 

 

 

 

How to slice smoked salmon

Though most smoked salmon we sell is pre-sliced, if you ask the experts the best way to serve smoked salmon, they will say to slice it from an unsliced side as you serve it. Though this may seem a daunting task, it is actually a skill easily learned and  once mastered never forgotten. I once spent a morning  with Vivian, one of our expert hand slicers, in our slicing room and have been slicing  salmon whenever the occasion arises (usually at Christmas or when out at shows and exhibitions). Here’s how you do it:

 1. You need a very sharp knife with plenty of length and breadth. This is VERY IMPORTANT.  This is the type we use:

Salmon slicing knife

 2. Keep your side of smoked salmon in the fridge until you are going to slice it but is shouldn’t be too cold. Smoked salmon is best served at room temperature.

 3. If you are right handed place the salmon in front of you so that the tail end ( the thinner end) is on your right.

 4. Place the knife about a quarter of the way up the fish, holding it almost horizontal,  but so that the leading edge just cuts into the fish :- see photo

Knife angle for slicing salmon

 5. Move the knife backwards and forwards along the full length of the knife, gradually moving towards the tail of the fish and slightly downwards. This should give you a slice shaped like an elongated D.

 6. Keep slicing towards the tail, gradually moving up the fish. You should be able to see the blade of the knife through the salmon – that’s how you know you have got it thin enough.

 7. When you get to the skin,  cut along it to get all the salmon off.

 8. When you get to the top of the fish you can turn and cut the other way, to get the last few slices off.

 9. It should look like this but doesn’t worry if it doesn’t first time round – it will still taste delicious!

D sliced smoked salmon

 

Best of luck and if you have any tips of your own please pass them on!

Shinty, Sheep and Salmon

left to right Roddy McDairmid, Billy Macpherson, Ernie MacPherson, Charlie Bell, Duncan Henderson, Michael Noble, Michael Griffin

The Oban Times recently published this photograph of the Ardkinglas Shinty team at our local agricultural show in Dalmally in 1968. In 1968 sheep farming was the main activity in this area and several of the folk in this photo were employed as shepherds.  As times changed employment in farming declined but with the rise of aquaculture in the area many transferred to this new form of farming. Ernie MacPherson (third on the left) spent the first part of his working life as a shepherd and has recently retired having spent many years with our local salmon farm.

The buildings which originally housed the sheep also changed – of the two main farms on the Ardkinglas Estate the farm at Clachan became our Oyster Bar and Shop and the farm at Achadunan became the Fyne Ales micro brewery (founded by the daughter of Michael Noble – also in the photo).

Meanwhile the shinty carried on with further generations joining in. Our local team in Inveraray (which has been going since 1877) wins major championships on a regular basis – its current manager is our Filleting Manager, John Smylie, who recently took over from a long line of MacPherson managers. For many years the Shinty mini bus doubled as daily transport for folk coming to work at LFO from Inveraray.

Shepherding has not completely disappeared and Roddy McDairmid (first on the left) has stayed shepherding and won many sheep dog trial prizes, travelling all over the world to competitions. This year he came 7th in the World Sheep Dog Championships and was the only Scot in the competition.

The Dalmally Show is also still going strong annually on the first weekend in September.
At Cairndow we are used to change and take opportunities when they come but it is nice to be reminded by photos such as this that some things remain the same!

Inveraray Shinty Team 2011 John Smylie ( LFO Filleting Manager) standing second from the right

In defence of the oyster….

GUEST WRITER

David Attwood, Aquaculture Director, Loch Fyne Oysters

 

UK Oysters – Norovirus – FSA media report misleading Part 1

View from Loch Fyne

 

Hmm… interesting, did anyone hear or see yesterday’s media report that stated that 3 out of every 4 of the UK’s oysters contain norovirus? I did and nearly put the car off the road on the way to work!

The Food Standards Agency report was misleading in 3 ways:

• This research that was carried out was based on oysters growing in the sea and not those put on the market for sale
• It stated that there is currently no testing method available – This is wrong, there are two laboratories in the UK, one CEFAS in Weymouth and a second private laboratory in Scotland – both of these laboratories offer a commercial norovirus testing service that is available to oyster farmers
• It indicated that there are no safe levels established for the level of norovirus – We disagree – We have been operating a successful oyster surveillance program for the last 3 years that monitors norovirus and is based on safety limits – this was developed in conjunction with our local Environmental Health Officers and CEFAS – The FSA are aware of this information

Oysters in depuration (cleaning and monitoring) tanks, Loch Fyne Oyster Farm

I could go on but the tide is now dropping so it’s on with the waders and off to the shore to turns some bags of oysters and quietly reflect on yesterdays events.

David Attwood – Oyster farmer – Loch Fyne Oysters Limited

Loch Fyne Oysters currently supplies 1.6 million oysters a year to our customers across the world    

www.lochfyne.com/news

www.lochfyne.com

Travelling Oysters..

Loch Fyne Oysters at Raflles Hotel Singapore

When I got to my desk this morning I found this photo of our Loch Fyne oysters on display at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore. One  of our Argyll friends had taken the shot while visiting there. It reminded me of when I made a pilgrimage a couple of years ago to the Sheraton Hotel in Hong Kong ( via the star ferry) to see their famous Oyster Bar which has featured Loch Fyne Oysters for many years. Our oysters were on display along with about 20 other varieties. I refrained from ordering half a dozen, as I couldn’t quite justify £4.20 for an oyster. Instead I ordered a Guinness and sat and watched the light display from the wonderful vantage point that this bar has over Hong Kong harbour.

Oyster Bar Sheraton Hotel Hong Kong

I often use the example of our Hong Kong customer (who was our first main export partner) to illustrate how well oysters can travel as they are can be portrayed as being fragile creatures. We train our oysters for leaving our shores by gradually moving them up the shore so that when the tide goes out they spend more and more time out of the water and get used to closing up tight to preserve the liquid inside them to keep them alive.

Ariel view of oyster racks at the Loch Fyne Oyster Farm, low tide

Kept the right way up (cup side down) and reasonably still and avoiding extremes of temperature, our rock oysters can live quite happily out of the water for as much as three weeks. Generally though we recommend eating them within a week of delivery as we can’t be sure what conditions they are being kept in once they leave here. It is easy to tell when an oyster is dying as the shell opens up, the water inside leaks out and inside the shell appears dried up and unappetising. Our general advice is to put oysters in a cool place, or in a fridge with a damp tea towel over the top.  Like many of us, they do NOT like being shaken around, being immersed in cold fresh water, or being turned up side down.

Treated properly they can travel the world to such exotic places as the Sheraton in Hong Kong, Raffles in Singapore, and The  Park Hyatt in Zurich. Think I’ll start a collection of photos of Loch Fyne Oysters on their travels – all contributions welcome.

www.lochfyne.com

Introduction…

Ok here goes…

My name is Virginia Sumsion.

I have worked full-time for Loch Fyne Oysters for 13 years come next February doing sales, marketing, events, and in the past helping out in the kitchen and packing department. My uncle was Johnny Noble, one of the two founders of the company, and it started just when I was beginning University in Edinburgh so it has been a major part of my and my family’s life.  I am hoping though this blog to be able to tell you about some of the remarkable things that have happened in this corner of Argyll over the years and are still happening! I’ll try and get others in the company to join in, as there are lots of stories to tell. West coast folk tend to be a bit reticent but hopefully once we get them going…

Loch Fyne Oysters Ltd is quite a complicated set up as we operate 6 separate businesses from Cairndow – Oyster Bar/Restaurant, Farm Shop, Mail Order (Loch Fyne Direct), Oyster and Mussel Farm, Smokehouse and a Trade Sales Dept which sells and delivers our products all over the world as well as throughout the UK.

Our key trade customers include Loch Fyne Restaurants who are actually a separate company (now owned by Greene King). The Restaurant company grew out of us in the late 1990’s and we continue to supply them with our smoked fish, shellfish etc. and work with their Chefs and Managers to keep the link strong.

Just now everyone is getting ready for Christmas, which is the busiest period in the year for the Mail order and Trade sections of the business. The Farm Shop and Oyster bar are slightly quieter at this time of the year and some of their staff shift over for December to give the other departments a hand.

Look at my diary from last year we had the first heavy snow fall on the 28th November so let’s see what happens this year. At the moment our weather is warm and wet which is standard for Argyll as we get the effect of the Gulf stream coming across the Atlantic. We have stocked up on grit and grit spreaders and lagged all our pipes so hopefully that means it will stay mild and we won’t need any of it!

Last year even the Loch froze solid which is unusual for salt water. When it thawed the flow of ice down the loch cut right through some of our mussel ropes causing havoc for the mussel farm team.

That’s probably enough for now. Don’t want to bore you. Episode 2 coming soon…

Freezing Loch Fyne