Lady of Lundy coming in As I walk into S&P fish shop on Ilfracombe harbour Clare is unpacking the new waterproof labels and Rich is dressing lobster. “I’m learning,” admits Clare, “anything you want to know about fish or how to cook it - ask Rich.” I soon discover Clare knows a lot more than she is letting on. She is married to P for Paul - one of the Wharton brothers who founded S&P trawlers: the largest fishing fleet in North Devon. Paul is the skipper of the banana-yellow potting boat ‘Lady of Lundy’ which supplies lobsters and crabs directly to the shop. Add to this the fish which comes off the trawlers and S&P is the only wet fish shop in North Devon fed directly from the boats. Clare’s also running the licensed café selling seafood sandwiches and platters right on the harbour. With the fishing boats only ten metres or so away, you can’t beat this for food miles.
Clare in S&P fish shop There’s an amazing variety of large fresh fish of every shape and size laid on ice, before me –much more than in your usual fishmonger and I’m struggling to identify everything. Besides the usual haddock fillet (on offer) there is pollock, bass, ling, plaice, sole, brill, turbot, monkfish, scallops, and John Dory (Rich’s favourite). You really see what you’re getting here – the whole beast - which Rich will fillet for you if you’d rather not do it yourself. He’s also prepared meaty chunks ready for kebabs for the barbecue or mixed for fish pie. “The salmon is farmed of course and the brown crab comes from south Devon, otherwise it all comes in mixed boxes straight off the boats.”
If the trawlers land by day, Rich can select his fish off the boat. If the fish is landed in the middle of night the catch heads straight to Appledore fish dock and S&P in effect buys their own catch back from them. Clare tells me they often have a two or three hour turn around before the boats are off out to sea again, for several days. As a fisherman’s wife she’s used to being summoned to the harbour in the middle of night with food parcels or a change of clothes.
If the trawlers land by day, Rich can select his fish off the boat. If the fish is landed in the middle of night the catch heads straight to Appledore fish dock and S&P in effect buys their own catch back from them. Clare tells me they often have a two or three hour turn around before the boats are off out to sea again, for several days. As a fisherman’s wife she’s used to being summoned to the harbour in the middle of night with food parcels or a change of clothes.
fish landed by S&P trawlers All S&P boats are certified under Seafish’s responsible fishing scheme which Gus Carslake from Seafish told Boat Stories is “the equivalent of an organic inspection for boats. It focuses on sustainable fishing, measures taken to avoid unnecessary bycatch, fish quality (in terms of hygiene, putting fish on ice, getting it to the customer quickly) and how the boat is maintained – hugely relevant for the safety of the crew.” Seafish want to encourage fishmongers to link the fish customers buy to individual boats in the same way that good butchers will tell you which farm their beef or lamb comes from. Restaurants in Ilfracombe could do the same – you could be eating on the Quay and spot the boat which caught your ‘fish of the day’! S&P’s trawlers are orange –look out for them coming in and out of Ilfracombe, Appledore or Bideford. There’s the 15 metre Sparkling Star who joined the fleet in 2012, skippered by Paul Stone and crewed by Karl and the two Toms. And Our Olivia Belle - built for the fleet and named after the Wharton brothers’ daughters Olivia and Isabel and skippered by Scott, the S of S&P, his son Danny and Marcus ‘Tats’ White. So North Devon’s largest fleet is not huge! For those who remember Our Josie Grace (named after daughters Josie and Olivia Grace) she was sold earlier this year, after the fleet lost their ‘historic rights’ to fish off the Welsh Coast. According to Boat Stories' fleet on Marine Traffic, her new home is somewhere on the East coast, fishing the North Sea.
Kev unloading whelks from Lady of Lundy Buying and selling boats is something Scott is used to as he responds to the ups and downs and ever changing fishing regulations. “Our Josie Grace employed four crew,” he tells me “and kept four more employees going on land.” A few years ago, when it looked as though the writing was on the wall for fishing, S&P invested in boats which could supply transport to offshore windfarms and so he is able to employ the skippers he would have had to lay off. “There’s plenty of fish out there – plenty for a good sustainable local fishing industry, perhaps 20 to 30 local boats - if only we could manage it.” Minutes after he tells me he’s done with fishing he happily admits, “It’s still the best job in the world.” Amazingly Scott and his brother started out fishing off Lee Bay in a tiny wooden boat they bought from their wages after playing extras in a Glenda Jackson film. Scott’s career path from wooden boat to fleet owner would be almost impossible in today’s climate without backing or sponsorship.
S&P café on Ilfracombe harbour Scott is used to selling fish shops too - he sold S&P fishmongers in Butcher’s Row, (Passmores still operate there (see our fish page) and decided to invest in the café on the harbour. A fish shop and café where you can sit outside and watch the boats come in, drink a glass of chilled wine or cold beer with your crab sandwich sounds idyllic. Yet business has been slow – so this is a make or break year. “We’re going all out for it this year,” Clare tells me. Hence the lobster tank (being cleaned) the new fish tank with spider crabs and other sea life to attract the children, special offers, the new menu cards and the offer of local delivery.
So the message is use this local fish shop and cafe or risk losing it. They have some faithful local customers – several turned up while I was there – and went away happy. And OK you have to pay for the car park and the food and drink you buy. But watching life go on in a busy working harbour is one of the few spectacles left that is free. Rich must have noticed me reading the menu and drooling. He offers me a taste of local lobster : sweet, juicy, meaty and delicate. I always thought lobster was out of my price range – but they’re on special offer and I buy half a dressed lobster (cooked and prepared) to take home to the family.
I leave Clare and Rick working away to catch the potting boats coming in on the high tide.
for information on opening times check out our fish page
So the message is use this local fish shop and cafe or risk losing it. They have some faithful local customers – several turned up while I was there – and went away happy. And OK you have to pay for the car park and the food and drink you buy. But watching life go on in a busy working harbour is one of the few spectacles left that is free. Rich must have noticed me reading the menu and drooling. He offers me a taste of local lobster : sweet, juicy, meaty and delicate. I always thought lobster was out of my price range – but they’re on special offer and I buy half a dressed lobster (cooked and prepared) to take home to the family.
I leave Clare and Rick working away to catch the potting boats coming in on the high tide.
for information on opening times check out our fish page
watching life go by in a working harbour is free
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