“You had me at hello!” This line from the film Jerry Maguire is said by Renée Zellwegger to Tom Cruise to indicate that the rest of his speech about why he absolutely had to be with her was utterly superfluous. Bizarrely, this same thought crossed my mind today when I went into a fabulous fish shop at the Brighton & Newhaven Fish Sales. Based on the quayside at Hove, I popped in following a meeting with a local cheesemonger.
The guy behind the counter was fully kitted up in waders & waterproof boots, having come off the boat at 5 o’clock this morning. I told him I would like something I hadn’t tried before, and something that was caught locally. He pointed to the ugliest fish I’ve seen for quite some time and said “Tastes like monkfish, but half the price”. He then proceeded to tell me his favourite way of cooking it was in the oven with a little white wine, shallots and leeks. Frankly, he needn’t have bothered. I was sold. This rugged man dressed in rubber, along with the ugly fish, “had me at hello!” A definite first, and probably a last.
The main reason why he had me at all was the fact that while he was gutting my supper, he was also the guy who caught it. There is no shorter route from field to fork than by buying it directly from the person who caught or reared or grew the produce in the first place, and to me this is vitally important. It means that you are buying the produce at its freshest and best. (Is there anything that tastes better than the blackberry you eat straight from the bush?) These artisans have forgotten more about their produce than you and I will ever learn. There is no way I would have chosen this fish in the supermarket: in fact there is no way this fish would be in the supermarket because it is too ugly. Without these people, much of this fabulous produce would be ignored, and we would all be forced through lack of choice to eat the same thing. Most importantly, they are educating us to the produce which is available to us. They are guardians of flavour, and vitally guardians of the methods of production that make the food taste the way it does.
Above all else, this is the reason why we launched britishfinefoods. I want to be able to eat the best food our country has to offer. I want to see these magical producers, farmers, cheese makers properly rewarded for the quality they produce and the artisan methods they keep alive. I think the rural economy is vital to our little island, and should be supported. But on the other hand, I don’t want to pay a king’s ransom for the privilege, and really don’t want to spend a fortune on postage costs from different producers. So britishfinefoods exists to make these wonderful products available with the convenience and value of one delivery.
Anyway, the fish I bought today is called a Gurnard, and is so ugly it was probably the inspiration behind the art of gurning.
The reason for this post is that we are considering selling fresh fish selection boxes, and would be interested in your opinions. Please feel free to give me your thoughts in the comments box below.
Gurning Competition
Gurnard Fish- Ugly but tasty
