Smoking Fish and Baby Oysters!
Capturing a day in the life of Pinney’s of Orford, a traditional smokehouse in Suffolk – If you love fresh seafood and smoked fish, then you must pay a visit to the quaint village of Orford in Suffolk where you will find Pinney’s shop and their restaurant, the The Butley Orford Oysterage. It was a grey, chilly morning when I walked into the restaurant, and was greeted by the friendly, smiling face of Bill Pinney. As part of my on-going personal photography projects, Bill had agreed to meet me to talk about his family business of smoking fish in their traditional log burning smokehouse. I have since been back for a commissioned job to photograph for their website and online shop – I was lucky to try lots of the dishes and products and I can happily say, the smoked fish and oysters are the best I’ve ever tasted!
A family business
Established by his fisherman father after the second World War, Pinney’s of Orford smoke salmon along with their daily catch of fresh local fish every day. They supply many businesses locally, plus their restaurant is packed all the time (well, it is when we are not in a COVID lockdown!). When I walked into the restaurant I felt like I was stepping back in time, struck by the basic set up and simple decor, not the big fancy restaurant I was expecting. This just goes to show that the food does all the talking in this wonderfully simple yet cosy restaurant.
Caring for the baby oysters
Originally I had contacted Bill to ask if I could photograph the smokehouse, so I was delighted when he offered to show me the oyster beds too. With sand kicking up off our car tyres, I followed Bill along a farm track to Butley Creek, where we got on board the boat to inspect the oysters growing in the Creek. I was also amazed to see baby oysters for the first time in my life too – they were tiny and looked like crunchy breakfast cereal!
The Smokehouse
Following this fascinating boat ride, Bill took me on a tour of the smokehouse. The powerful smell of the burning oak logs hit me as the doors were opened, to reveal brightly coloured salmon and prawns, trays of oysters out of their shells, and rows and rows of mackerel hanging in the smoke. It’s fair to say the aroma of burning logs followed me around for a few days after my visit!
Bill Pinney, a wealth of knowledge!
I really hadn’t expected Bill to give up so much of his time to tell me the interesting history and the fishing and smoking methods of this traditional family business. It was fascinating and I’m extremely grateful, in fact I was so enthralled with Bill and his oysters that I went back for a second day!
