meet the producers
Spinks & Smokies By Janice Hopper
106
household names like Findus and Birds Eye. “I started working for my dad without much consideration, it was natural to help out,’ says Iain. ‘I had no idea smokies would go on to play such a big role in my life.” Iain’s father played a key role campaigning to secure Arbroath smokie’s PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) status. The successful inclusion of smokies in 2004, meant that the produce could only be made within a five mile radius of the town. Similar to champagne and Parma ham, such protection stopped imitators pushing their copies onto the market. It was a game changer in, not only protecting the authenticity of the smokie, but enhancing its reputation across Europe. After Robert Spink sold the family business, Iain had a brief hiatus from the seafood industry, studying for a BSc in Environmental Science at the University of the Highlands and
Martin Spink of M&M Spink Courtesy of VisitScotland / Kenny Lam
One name dominates the world of Arbroath smokies, and that name is Spink, but there are several Spink companies ready to serve you their excellent seafood. First off, M & M Spink has been in business since 1965, and it’s possible to visit their simple smokehouse on the Arbroath harbour side, which produces smokies in the traditional way. Here, visitors can see how the haddock is salted in brine before the catch is tied together by the tail, and gently smoked by hand over hardwood embers. Afterwards, make a few seafood purchases in the rudimentary but tempting shop. Alternatively, consider G & A Spink Fish Merchants of Arbroath. Haddock, lemon sole, plaice, cod and hake make up much of their fresh product list, and the smoked fish specialities include Arbroath smokies, hot smoked salmon, trout, seabass, mackerel and herring. G & A Spink also own the delicious Tailend Restaurants in St Andrews and Dundee. While the Tailend fish bars serve traditional takeaway with classics such as haddock and chips, they offer so much more than that. Sit down to savour a starter of Scottish scallops, followed by a main of Arbroath smokies served up in a relaxed but smart restaurant setting. The cherry on the cake is the fact that children eat free in the restaurant on Sundays, making it an ideal spot for weekend family dining. One of the most well known and revered Spinks in the smokie story is Iain Spink, the fifth generation of his family to work in the seafood industry. Iain starting working with his father, Robert Spink, in the family fish processing company, R. R. Spink and Sons, at the age of sixteen. Smokies were just one part of the many skills learned in those early years, as well as processing bigger hauls such as cod for
Iain Spink
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