I took one of the +Gooch Accident courtesy cars and was able to park right outside the shop (it does say keep clear but if you are making a purchase at the Anchor Smokehouse then you have no worries).
John was serving a customer in the shop when I arrived and straight away I realised that this must be one of the regulars. Gemma (John's daughter) came through to greet me and introduced me to Malcolm. It's hard not to notice the friendliness that seems to ooze from this shop, they all seem to love what they do and Gemma is certainly passionate about the business and making sure that everyone gets to hear about it through the social media networks, with regular postings of whats fresh in on the day and where the mobile sales van will be.
The sales van is John's responsibility, he travels to Essex and Cambridgeshire on regular days to make sure that his fresh produce is on offer to as many people as he can, even to the smallest of villages where shops are minimal and fish is scarce.
Malcolm makes sure that there's freshly OAK smoked fish available for John to sell on the van and enough to keep all the customers happy that stroll into the shop. Once he's done that, he's the man that will fillet your fish, vacuum pack your sliced, smoked salmon and dress your crabs (if you're like me, a little dangerous when left in charge of a knife!).
Then of course there's Gemma, as I've said, she makes sure that everyone gets told about what's on offer but not only that, she also looks after the paperwork, everything, including all the Health & Safety stuff. Did I mention they have a 5 star Food Hygiene Rating? NO? well they do! It sounds like quite a mean task keeping up with what needs to be done & recorded just so we can enjoy their scrumptious fishy goodies. While we're talking about scrumptious goodies, Gemma also puts together the hampers that are available, so if there's a present that you need to send in a hurry and it's for someone that's got everything, then this is the answer.
Although the historic importance and the traditions of the smokehouse are being kept alive at the moment, the need to diversify is a must for almost every business nowadays, so, on the Anchor Smokehouse Christmas wish list this year, the wish, is to be able to produce OAK smoked cheeses & meats to compliment the fish products they already offer.
I'm just a small bear in a large town, will I end up a large bear in a small town? I fear the answer will be yes if we don't support our local businesses. The easiest way to do this is to BUY LOCAL which is hugely supported by the +bestoflowestoft and me +Gooch Bear
So, next time you want some fish, why not call into the Anchor Smokehouse shop or shop on-line, it's a simple matter of a few clicks and you'll be keeping another fantastic business and tradition alive! Just click on the links below;
http://www.anchorsmokehouse.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/AnchorSmokehouse?fref=ts
info@anchorsmokehouse.co.uk
http://www.thebestof.co.uk/local/lowestoft
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| Gemma & Me In The Oak Wood Store |
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| Some Of The Scrumptious Goodies Waiting To Be Smoked |
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| Just Before The Fires Are Lit |
