JDA Magazine May 2025 Paperturn - Flipbook - Page 24
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H FORMAN & SON — SMOKEHOUSE TOUR
George Panayi writes:
I had never heard of
H Forman & Son’s worldfamous smoked salmon
until the day we visited
their smokehouse!
It was a fantastic day —
a brilliant outing that
we all enjoyed so much!
I met Brinthan and the
group at JDA and we got the tube to Stratford.
We walked from there to the smokehouse, past
the massive Olympic Stadium, home of West Ham
United football team.
There were 30 people in our group. We received a
warm welcome.
The Forman family has been curing and smoking
昀椀sh in the East End of London since 1905 — over
100 years. Today, the smokehouse produces
H Forman & Son specialities for leading food
retailers, hotels and 昀椀ne dining establishments
across the globe.
The business is now owned by Lance Forman,
H Forman’s grandson, who told us all about the
company’s history.
Lance gave us a fascinating insider account
of what happened after the bid to hold the
2012 Olympic Games in London succeeded.
Unfortunately, 350 businesses — including
H Forman & Son — were located on land which
the authorities wanted to develop to build the
new Olympic Park. These businesses found
themselves facing eviction. Lance’s 昀椀ght to save
the company brought him into battle with many
powerful people, including the then Mayor of
London Ken Livingstone, and Sebastian Coe.
It was a long and acrimonious battle. But, against
all odds, he won!
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JDATogether — Issue 50 — May 2025
We all put on white protective gowns, then went
down to the cold smokehouse to observe the
curing and smoking process. We also witnessed
a famous 昀椀shmonger at work, who demonstrated
for us how he holds the Guiness World Record for
how speedily and precisely he bones and carves a
side of salmon!
After the tour, we had a delicious smoked salmon
and cream cheese bagel lunch at the riverside
restaurant. The smoked salmon was fresher than
I have ever tasted and the smell and smoky taste
of the 昀椀sh was delicious.
Thank you very much to Ann Clements for
organising this great day out!
