Multi-award-winning smoked salmon is a festive favourite for Ewing’s in Belfast
Crawford Ewing, a director of smoked salmon specialists Ewing’s Belfast Fishmongers, is forecasting even better sales this festive period than “the amazing previous years”.
“Sales are great, especially for our award-winning smoked salmon from established and new customers for Christmas meals in particular,” says Crawford. “Demand for smoked salmon and other fish at this time of the year is crazy,” he adds.
Anchored on the Shankill Road for more than a century, Ewing’s sells a comprehensive range of fresh fish, seafoods and shellfish sourced daily from trawlers in Kilkeel and Portavogie.
In addition to local shoppers, the company suppliers most of Northern Ireland’s hotels and restaurants on a daily basis. Sainsbury’s supermarkets and dozens of delis here also stock the company’s smoked salmon.
Ewing’s has also won a string of UK Great Taste Awards for the quality and flavours of its premium smoked salmon and three-star winning cod loin
The family business run by brothers Crawford and Warren under the supervision of father Walter has faced the same challenge of rising costs as other local food producers. “Costs have increased both in materials and labour,” continues Crawford.
“We have managed, however, to hold the price point just the same as last year despite the rises,” he says.
“We see that our business has more potential and many more opportunities to grow. It’s important to us that Ewing’s remains an artisan, hand crafted product. We don’t want to become a mass production operation.
“We have been curing and smoking Superior grade A salmon and been producing the world's finest smoked salmon for more than 100 years. Our salmon, much of which is sourced from Glenarm in Co Antrim, comes from our own smoker on the Shankill. We have total control of the entire operation.
“We take extreme care with the whole process that uses recipes for the smoked salmon passed down from my grandfather. Our process hasn’t changed in over a century. This experience is one of our best ingredients,” adds Crawford.