On arriving at the sleepy harbour town of Brixham, it only took a quick glance out to the coast to notice just how busy this little fishing port is. Home to one of the largest fishing ports in the UK, we are honoured to work so closely with the fishermen, enabling us to source sustainably, and provide native fish and seafood in season. Day-boat sourcing means fresher fish, which is fully traceable from the moment it’s caught, to its arrival on your plate.
Making sure we only serve the good stuff means sourcing the best native lobster we can find, and we’re thrilled to announce that this August you can enjoy this British beauty in all of our pubs every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night.
Rob Adams, our lobster fisherman, is born and bred in Brixham, and with over 30 years of fishing under his belt, really knows his stuff. Like many small-boat fishermen, he is the owner and skipper of his boat, and is the epitome of a true fisherman, in both experience and stature! (Never is he seen without his old favourite rigger boots!)
Rob gets going at the crack of dawn every day, leaving his warm, cosy bed to take a short trundle down to the harbour where his trusted boat ‘The Little Pearl’ is sat bobbing, waiting to be taken out like an eager puppy in the pursuit of the days catch.
Before long, he is off to lay his first pot. Each has its own secret location, usually close to the shore, marked by a buoy. Unlike generations before him, Rob uses a winch to pull the rope, lifting the pot from the previous day, from the sea bed. After all these years he still feels the anticipation of not knowing what will lay inside and once the pot is aboard, it’s opened, and in goes his trusted hand carefully removing the lobsters like a seasoned pro. Warily avoiding being caught by their fiery claws, each lobster is carefully inspected to ensure quality and size, and that the females aren’t laden with eggs (or as Rob calls them “berries”). Lobsters not meeting his strict criteria are carefully placed back into the water, allowing them to continue growing with as little disruption as possible.
Once the pot’s emptied, it’s refilled with Rob’s secret feed and left overnight for the next wandering lobster to take the midnight feast. After a full 12 hours pulling pots at sea, Rob returns to the safety of the harbour, already pondering what the next day will bring. Once The Little Pearl is moored, Rob loads his truck with bongos full of his catch, and heads straight to the depot where each lobster is graded by weight, and popped immediately back in the tank to avoid any any distress. These are then sold, ready for delivery the very next day.
Rob is a great believer of making sure lobster fishing remains sustainable, and is why he only picks the lobsters that meet his high standards. We’re honoured to have fresh native lobster delivered to our pubs, to serve every weekend in August. The meat is packed full of flavour in comparison to their Canadian counterparts, and arriving fresh really is what makes British seafood the best!
