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A HIGHLY specialised Scottish salmon company was celebrating last night after picking up a major award at the Boston Seafood Show in the United States.
Competing against many of the giants in the business, St. James Smokehouse won the Best New Retail Award in the Seafood Excellence sector at the show. The winning product is the unusual, but imaginative St. James Scotch Reserve Smoked Salmon infused with Hendrick's Scottish Gin & Tonic.
Brendan James Maher, owner of St. James Smokehouse, which is based in Annan in Dumfries, said: "At first, coming up with the idea for what has been judged this year’s best retail product in the 2011 Seafood Excellence Awards was like a "Monty Python" moment,
"It’s whimsical," Brendan added, "When I submitted it, the opening line was, 'Don’t have time for an appetiser and a cocktail? Try St. James Scotch Reserve Smoked Salmon infused with Scottish Gin & Tonic'."
St. James Smokehouse along with Dish Hospitality of Mumbai, India, whose Prawn Lollipop was named best in the foodservice category, were the top award winners in the new product competition at the International Boston Seafood Show on Sunday. Brendan Maher said the says the reason why people like the salmon infused with gin and tonic is simple - because it works.
St James Smokehouse is one of the few remaining specialist traditional family owned smokehouses. It supplies a number of elite hotels and restaurants around the UK.
For a relatively smaller player in the business, to pick up an award at such an international seafood event is a huge triumph for the company. Boston attracts thousands of seafood professionals from more than 130 countries.
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