1935 The largest salmon ever sold at Billingsgate Fish Market, weighing in at 74lbs. This beauty was sold for 2/10 a lb when typical prices were 2/3. Louis Forman, Harry Forman’s son, stands behind

wearing a black homburg hat

When Harry (Aaron) Forman arrived in London’s East End from Russia at the beginning of the last century he pursued the trade he knew best – curing /sh; in particular, the salmonhe imported in barrels of brine from the Baltic. It wasn’t long, however, before he discovered a rich source of fresh wild salmon much closer to home: Scotland.

Inspired by the exceptional quality of freshScottish salmon, Harry developed a cure thatcomplemented its unrivalled 6avour. The deliciouslymild London Cure was born and soon it was the talkof reputable establishments around the capital.

A century later H. Forman & Son remains a family concern, the last of the original Londonsmokeries, with Lance Forman, Harry’s great

grandson, flying the flag for the famousLondon Cure. Remaining faithful to principlesestablished in 1905 – the freshest salmon, a littlesalt, just the right amount of oak smoke – he isupholding traditional values and skills that wouldotherwise have died out long ago, along with oneof gastronomy’s finest foods: H. Forman & Son’sGenuine Wild Smoked Scottish Salmon.

All salmon arrive in pristine condition daily at 4.00am and every /sh is inspected

Step 1 – Selection, filleting and curing

H. Forman & Son is, and will always remain, asmoker and wholesaler of salmon. London CureSmoked Scottish Salmon is the signature product.Quite simply, there is no /ner smoked salmon inthe world. Why? Because no corners are cut.

The story starts with the /sh itself. The Atlantic salmon is the king of /sh, and thosecaught in the estuaries of Scotland are renownedfor their 6avour. Unlike some smokers prepared tocompromise freshness for pro/t, H. Forman & Sonalways purchases the freshest /sh. Wild Scottishsalmon arrives at Forman’s temperature-controlledsmokehouse within 24 hours of being caughtand superior farmed Scottish salmon within 48hours of harvest. As soon as it arrives it is cleaned,split and trimmed entirely by hand whereas mostsmokehouses use machines which damage the6esh, give lower yields and cannot handle the /rm6esh of very fresh /sh.

Small amounts of rock salt are then sprinkledover each /sh, again by hand, to dehydrate the 6esh.During salting a side of salmon can lose up to 15%in weight over 24 hours so less reputable producershave been known to inject brine to increase weight(and margins!) then disguise the saltiness with sugar.Such deception is anathema to Lance Forman andhis team. Consequently, H. Forman & Son smokedsalmon is the healthy option, with no added sugarand only 3% salt content, as opposed to 5% in manycheaper brands.

THE BEST SMOKED SALMONIN THE WORLD

All /sh are /lleted by hand Dry salting by hand

Pure rock salt is used for curing

Traditional curing for 24 hours before smoking

Curing for gravadlax, one of many H. Forman & Son recipes

Step 2 – Smoking

After salting, with bones left in to enhance 6avour, whole sides of salmon are hung by hand in traditional style ready for smoking. Hanging allows the smoke to circulate freely and penetrate the stretched pores of the 6esh.

Controlling smoke is vital. Too much smoke and the subtle 6avour of the salmon is overpowered. H. Forman & Son’s expertise results in a perfect blend of air-drying and dehumidi/cation with precise quantities of smoke produced by friction-burning oak logs sourced from sustainable forests.

Two different methods are employed – cold-smoking and hot-smoking. London Cure Smoked Scottish Salmon is cold-smoked, but salmon also takes well to hot-smoking, as do many other /sh. Both methods require a high level of expertise. The key to cold-smoking is the drying whereas with hot-smoking moisture retention is paramount, and it is this intuitive understanding of smoking principles, re/ned over the last 100 years, that ensures H. Forman & Son’s full range of traditional smoked /sh remains unsurpassed.

Hanging cured salmon are wheeled into the kiln for cold smoking – the holes in the skin allow salt and smoke to penetrate for an even taste

Hot smoked salmon with cracked peppercorns, another speciality

Step 3 – Hand-carving

Whilst much of H. Forman & Son smoked salmonis dispatched from the factory as whole, untrimmedsides straight out of the kilns, wrapped in greaseproofpaper, the rest undergoes further attention.

Trimming, pin-boning and carving by hand is alabour-intensive process employed for good reason:it makes a huge difference. Cheaper sliced smokedsalmon is often sold untrimmed with the pellicle(the hard and chewy outer crust that forms duringsmoking) left intact because it adds to the weight.H. Forman & Son smoked salmon, on the otherhand, is supplied with the pellicle removed for a farsuperior taste.

Slicing by hand – D-cut or banquet slices (length-wise), according to customer preference – also enhancestaste because the slightly uneven surface of each slicereleases more 6avour. Lance Forman likens this toeating ready-sliced bread as opposed to a loaf slicedby hand at home.

Finally, the slices are re-assembled, with considerableskill, in the form of the original side, or as /xed weight or portion-controlled packets, and wrapped ready for dispatch. A 6eet of refrigerated delivery vans supplies customers as soon as possible. Time is of the essence as the best smoked salmon should be eaten as fresh as possible; preferably, the same day it leaves the kiln.

Pin bones are removed by hand

Hand trimming

‘D-cut’ slices

Hand slicing ‘banquet’ style

Whole sides being inspected and selected

Freshly sliced smoked salmon is interleaved with perforated paper to allow it to breathe

More than smoked salmon

While smoked salmon remains the heart and soul of the business, gourmet tastes change regularly and H. Forman & Son has always been at the forefront of the curing industry, pioneering new styles and delicacies. The same principles of curing – the best /sh, artisan skills – are applied to a wide range of products of exceptional quality. The diverse 6avours of wild halibut, cod’s roe, tuna, eel and mackerel, for example, are all given a delightful Forman & Son twist.

Forman’s expertise is so highly regarded that distinguished chefs regularly request bespoke cured salmon. Diverse cures range from the company’s unique aromatic gravadlax to wasabi and ginger, sweet beetroot, Thai-spiced, vodka, chilli and lime, tequila and parsley, and even a spicy cinnamon and orange cure for the festive season.

Rightly proud of its artisanal expertise in salmon /lleting and smoked salmon carving, H. Forman & Son also welcomes clients’ staff to train at the factory and improve their skills. Smoked wild halibut

is packed by hand

Wasabi and ginger cured salmon slices

Cured salmon being sliced by hand

“The oldest and best /rm of salmon smokers in BritainNick Fisher, �shing expert (Shooting Times)

”

“Widely acknowledgedas Britain’s leading salmon smokerHarpers & Queen

”

“Classic, faultless, straightforwardProf. Anthony Blake, food scientist and writer (The Times)

”

“Its wild smoked salmon is matchless – dry, gamey, lightly cured and saltedTamasin Day Lewis, television chef, food writer and author (Daily Telegraph)

”

“The most attractive and succulent of all… DeliciousPaul Levy, food writer and journalist (The Guardian)

”

“A London institution…This smoked salmon is the choice of chefs worldwide…Williams-Sonoma US

”

TRADITIONALSERVICE

Attention to detail

H. Forman & Son has a long established workingrelationship with leading hoteliers, restaurateurs andretailers. The customer is always right and Lance Formanplaces the emphasis squarely on traditional service and meeting the demands of his varied clients.

Michelin-star chefs, food hall managers andcaterers, both large and small, know they can relyon H. Forman & Son to respond rapidly and deliverconsistently outstanding quality. Attention to detailextends to presentation with products available inprivate label packaging or the company’s award-winningown-label designer packs.

Retail packs are individually inspected and packed by hand

Award-winning packaging

Smoked salmon sides are traditionally wrapped in greaseproof paper for dispatch to client

New premises, new purpose

The Willy Wonka-style kilns might grab the eye ofany visitor but the equally high-tech kitchens, withfacilities to match any top restaurant, have alsoallowed diversi/cation and innovation. It’s here thatLloyd Hardwick, Forman’s Roux-trained chef, workshis magic developing new recipes and creatingrestaurant quality dishes for an ever-increasing listof discerning clients.

The culinary skills offered by Forman’s kitchen team are in great demand. More and more customers, including chefs in leading hotels and restaurants, are relying on H. Forman & Son to supplement their own kitchens by providing ‘homemade’ gourmet dishes of impeccable provenance. As Lance Forman explains: “Everything we make is prepared from /rst principlesusing the /nest ingredients, whether it’s one of ourown recipes or a client’s recipe. We provide old-fashioned quality and consistency and, in doing so,help customers reduce waste.”

The freshest ingredients prepared by hand

Out of the smokery and into the kitchen

A NEW RECIPEFOR SUCCESS

Fishcakes – fast becoming a Forman speciality

Brochettes – part of Forman’s diverse range of pre-prepared dishes

Product development

H. Forman & Son is unlike most factories. It is a giant kitchen where all food is prepared to order before being dispatched by road within the UK or by air to establishments as far a/eld as the USA and China, Barbados and Mauritius, Dubai and Switzerland. Regular shipments are made to super-yachts to be enjoyed in luxury, at sea.

Beyond smoked and cured /sh H. Forman & Sonalso specialises in supplying the /nest fresh wild salmon in season, and fresh farmed salmon all year round, prepared by hand to any speci/cation. The growth of the sushi industry, with its emphasis on thehighest quality /sh, has been a boon.

The company handles an ever-growing range of fresh /sh and imports speciality /sh from around the globe; Japanese yellowtail, Alaskan king crab, Western Australian lobster, Indian Ocean tiger prawns, Paci/c black cod and ivory king salmon, to name but a few. Customers only have to ask and H. Forman & Son will seek and /nd.

Lance Forman has also championed the renaissance of British food through its sister company Forman & Field with many traditional British specialities, from pies to puddings, produced in-house.

H. Forman & Son Smoked Scottish Salmon – one of the world’s great gastronomic delights

Quality control by Chef Lloyd Hardwick

Scottish lobster – Forman’s also handle Canadian and Australian lobster

Beetroot Cured Salmon

Black Cod with Miso Sauce, supplied raw, marinated or cooked

Smoked Eel, one of many traditional smoked /sh

Salmon Coulibiac, a dish prepared in the kitchen

INVESTING IN THE FUTURE

Enter the salmon factory

Lance Forman; building a 21st century business on

traditional, artisan skills

The great leap forward

The story that began over 100 years ago is far from over. A recent twist of fate has become a positive catalyst for change. A compulsory purchase order, served by the Mayor of London to make way for the 2012 Olympic Stadium, has seen H. Forman & Son move to impressive new riverside premises, designed with the future in mind.

Lance Forman worked closely with architects to create a multi-purpose ‘factory’ that would offer 21st century functionality yet allow time-honoured skills to 6ourish in a positive working environment. From the blast freezers that freeze /sh to minus 40 degrees in minutes to the specially designed see-through kilns that establish a visual link between pre- and post-smoke preparation, this is a building designed to continue the Forman tradition of excellence.

It also houses a spectacular visitors’ and events centre where guided tours are given to the food-loving public – Lance Forman is passionate about food education and never happier than telling the tale of his company’s history so future customers know how to recognize genuine quality – as well as a restaurant, a factory shop and spacious exhibition and entertainment facilities with an unbeatable ringside view of the Olympic Stadium.

Like an Atlantic salmon returning to its birthplace, or Harry Forman tasting fresh Scottish salmon for the /rst time, H. Forman & Son is ready and willing to make a great leap forward.

Function room overlooks the River Lea and the

2012 Olympic Stadium

Education is key – a school visits the factory

A 15 metre salmon provides of/ce inspiration

Loading boxes of smoked salmon for export

Porthole viewing gallery for food ‘tourists’

WHERE TO FIND US

The smoked salmon factory was designed to resemble a darne of salmon by award-winning architects

H. Forman & Son is a founder member of the Academy of Culinary Arts

H. Forman & SonStour Road Fish Island London E3 2NTTelephone: 0208 5252 399 Facsimile: 0208 5252 398

General Information: info@formans.co.ukwww.formans.co.uk

VictoriaPark

Olympic Park

2012OlympicStadium

RIVERLEA

High

St

Bow Rd

High

St

Bow Rd

Blackwall Tunnel

NorthernApproach

E Cross Route

BOW CHURCHBOW RD

STRATFORD

HACKNEY WICK

A11

A12

A12

A12

A118

A118

A115

PUDDINGMILL LANE

ToM11 & NorthCircular

To City 3 miles,West End 8 miles To Canary

Wharf 3 miles,City Airport

6 miles

To North Circular& East

FISH ISLAND

Greenway

Footpath

Footpath

Carpenter’s Rd

Warton Rd

PuddingM

ill Ln

Cook’s Rd

Bar versRd

RoachRd

Monier Rd

Wick

Ln

Wick

Ln

Wansbeck

Rd

Dace Rd

Smeed

Rd

Wyke Rd

Beachy Rd

Stour Rd

Cadogan

Terrace

White Post Ln

Rothbury RdWhite Post Ln

Old Ford Locks

Tredegar R

d

500ft100m

FISH ISLAND

RoachRd

Monier Rd

Wansbeck

Rd

Dace Rd

Smeed

Rd

Wyke Rd

Beachy Rd

Stour Rd

anTerrace

Old Ford L

RIVE

A12

FISH ISLAND

RoachRd

Monier Rd

Wick

Ln

W

Wansbeck

Rd

Dace Rd

Smeed

Rd

Wyke Rd

Beachy Rd

Stour Rd

Cadogan

Terrace

Old Ford Locks

ft

STOUR ROAD FISH ISLAND LONDON E3 2NTTELEPHONE: 0208 5252 399 FACSIMILE: 0208 5252 398

info@formans.co.uk www.formans.co.uk