Practical know-how for life
by the water.
Fresh from the cove
Far more than fish and bacon. Here is a beginner's list of foods to smoke at home, grouped by type, with whether to hot or cold smoke each one, which woods suit it and how tricky it is.
Bitter, ashy smoked food usually comes from heavy, dirty smoke. This troubleshooting guide covers the common home smoking problems, from generators going out to sweating cheese, with clear fixes for each.
Salt is what turns a fillet into smoked fish. Here is how to brine or dry cure mackerel, trout and salmon, how long to leave them, and how to dry them properly before they meet the smoke.
A plain guide to choosing between a 50N buoyancy aid and a 100N or 150N lifejacket for sea fishing, with sizing for children, fit checks and care for inflatables.
Many UK beaches fish better after dark in autumn and winter. Here is how to pick a safe beach, what to pack, how to set up and bait by headlamp, and how to spot bites.
A practical family guide to rock pooling on UK and Cornish shores, from picking the right tide to turning rocks gently, staying safe and ticking off a spotter checklist.
Soft plastics, metals, hard minnows, surface lures and feathers explained in plain terms: what each one catches around the UK coast, when to use it and a simple starter selection.
How much seafood to buy per person, what to put on the platter, when to order from your fishmonger and how to keep it all safely chilled on the day.
A practical guide to choosing a children's fishing rod by age, from first crabbing lines to a proper junior combo, with the safety kit that matters most near the water.
A plain guide to lobster and crab tools: crackers, picks, seafood forks, shears and oyster knives, what each one is for, and which you actually need.
A week-by-week plan for home smoking at Christmas, from smoked salt gifts in late November to hot-smoked mackerel for pâté on the 23rd, with the food-safety basics that matter.
From October to March the beaches belong to whiting, cod, dabs and flounder. Here is what to fish for, when to go, which baits and rigs to use and how to stay safe in the cold and dark.
Alder gives a very light, delicate, slightly sweet smoke and is the traditional wood for salmon on North America's Pacific coast. What it suits and which grade to buy.
Apple wood gives a mild, sweet, fruity smoke that suits fish, chicken, pork and cheese. Which grade to use and how it compares with cherry and hickory.
Beech gives a mild, clean, slightly nutty smoke, long used in European smokehouses for fish, ham and sausages. What it suits and which grade to buy.
Which smoking wood suits which fish: oak for mackerel and kippers, alder, apple or beech for salmon and trout, and the strong woods to keep away from delicate fillets.
Cherry gives a mild, slightly sweet, fruity smoke and a rich reddish colour. What it suits, which grade to buy and how it compares with apple.
Hickory gives a strong, savoury, bacon-like smoke that suits pork, ribs, beef and sausages. How much to use, when to blend it and why it can overpower fish.
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