Welcome to Kipperland

Today is the day of the Herring Festival in the picturesque Devon fishing village of Clovelly. 

Herring fishing was a major part of the local economy in Devon (and in my home county of Cornwall) for centuries. The 'silver darlings' were a staple foodstuff for the working family, rich in protein, minerals, vitamins and Omega-3 fatty acids (good for the brain, eyes, heart and muscle function). And they would see families through the cold months too by being dried or smoked as kippers. The Clovelly Herring Festival is all about championing these wonderful fish. 

The village once depended on the harvest of herring and, when the fishing was good, 9000 herring could be landed at one time. Records from 1749 show that there were once over a hundred herring boats registered there. But those days are long gone and just two working herring boats remain.

It's a tragedy that we don't eat these delicious, healthy fish as much as we used to. For some reason, the British have become obsessed with cod. Astonishingly, we eat 70% of all cod caught worldwide. We eat so much, in fact, that we've seriously depleted cod stocks. And yet we won't try other fish like haddock, coley or pollack that taste almost the same but exist in healthier numbers. Why not?

We've also ditched eating flatfish like plaice and sole and oily fish like mackerel and herring. Some research I did showed that 90% of all fish bought by British consumers comes down to three species - salmon, tuna and, overwhelmingly, cod. And this has decimated the fishing industry in the South West because there are no tuna or salmon to catch in Devonian or Cornish seas and cod prefer northern, colder waters - traditionally our boats have had to sail far away from the UK to fish for them (which has led to clashes over ownership and the so-called 'Cod Wars' - see here). Meanwhile, the populations of small fish like herring and pilchards (and sardines, which are young pilchards) remain high because we're not eating them, which is having an effect on the lobster and crab populations as the small fish eat the infant crustaceans that form part of the plankton population. And much of Britain's remaining fishing industry consists of inshore boats which catch - you've guessed it - lobsters and crabs.

Mike Smylie - the 'Kipperman'

The Clovelly Festival is all about promoting the fact that we should be eating more native oily fish. Maritime historian and writer, Mike Smylie - known as the 'Kipperman' - will undoubtedly be there with his 'Kipperland' exhibition, which is devoted to the history of the herring. There will be sea shanty singing, demonstrations of traditional skills like net making, live music, street entertainments and a Herring Hunt - like a fishy Easter egg hunt - for the children. Quay kitchens will be serving a variety of delicious herring, kipper and bloater specialities with chef demonstrations, beer tastings and local food and craft stalls.

Oh, and if you're interested, there are three kinds of smoked herring - Buckling (hot-smoked whole), Bloaters (cold-smoked whole) and Kippers (split and gutted and then cold-smoked).

The phrase 'red herring' - meaning a distraction - originated in the early 1800s. English journalist William Cobbett wrote about how, as a boy, he had used 'red herring' - herring do turn reddish brown when smoked - to throw hounds off the scent of a hare. He then elaborated on this anecdote and used it to criticise some of his fellow journalists who had allowed themselves to be misled by false information about a supposed defeat of Napoleon. And the phrase stuck.

I wish I lived closer to Clovelly. I'd be there like a shot to nibble on a kipper or rollmop herring. But even if you don't like fish, it is an absolutely beautiful place to visit.

 

Meanwhile, I love a cold kipper so my lunch is sorted today.

The Clovelly event website is here.