Our Gourmet Food Hampers make the perfect gift to mark and celebrate the arrival a new baby. To help your loved ones during these magical yet busy months, our wonderful selection of luxury hampers are packed full of our finest, award winning and ready-to-eat produce and yummy artisan goodies! Our hampers make a superb thoughtful, yet practical gift, to indulge the new family.

1. Taste For Two Gift Hamper £60
Our most popular gift hamper, the Taste For Two, is perfect gift for a couple of new parents. The hamper contains all of our ready- to-eat best sellers. Perfect for quick meals for the exhausted but elated new parents – this really is the perfect, practical present! Just add a jacket potato or a bag of salad to create an effortlessly wholesome meal, more time spent enjoying the precious little moments.

 

 

2. Smoked Meat Gift Box Hamper £85
Our luxurious Smoked Meat Gift Box Hamper is ideal for any meat lovers and has a versatile range of our award-winning gently smoked meats and poultry. This nutritious and protein-packed hamper has just what new parents need to make several tasty meals.

 

3. Smoked Food Gift Box Hamper £85
This gourmet hamper offers a scrumptious variety of ready-to-eat smoked foods. With a range of gently smoked meat, poultry, salmon and cheese, these products can be easily popped into the freezer and used as emergency gourmet dinner ingredients when those unexpected guests pop around to visit the new born.

 

 

4. Classic Smoked Salmon & Fizz Gift £65-£80
How better to celebrate the birth of a new child than with some Smoked Salmon, chocolate truffles and a glass (or two) of fizz?! This is a fabulous gift for new parents to mark such a special occasion, without even having to leave the comfort of their own home.

 

5. Welsh Family Feast Hamper £125
The Welsh Family Feast Hamper is a great gift for the whole family! With a variety of gently smoked meats, poultry, cheese and so much more, this hamper will satisfy the savoury and sweet cravings of families with a newborn. Filled with our deliciously, gently smoked foods including Smoked Salmon, Smoked Bacon and Duck Breast, this hamper is fit for a family feast! Our ready-to-eat smoked goods are accompanied by an array of tasty, sweet and savoury condiments, nibbles and treats – the perfect selection for families settling into their new life with a newborn.

 

 

6. Cwtch Grazing Gift Box Hamper £85
If the delighted new parents aren’t close enough to receive a real cwtch send the next best thing… our Cwtch Grazing Gift Box Hamper. This indulgent hamper is perfect for two – some of the very best Welsh produce for a glorious treat! A delicious selection of gently smoked poultry, cheeses, charcuterie and other sweet and savoury bites provide exciting opportunities for indulgent snacking.

 

7. Vegetarian Gift Box Hamper £85
For the non-meat eaters, this tempting vegetarian hamper is filled with a selection of delicious, hearty and wholesome Welsh artisan produce including our delicious Smoked Cheddar with Paprika, Teifi Halloumi and Smoked Seeds. With an array of condiments, nibbles and Milk & Dark Chocolate Brazils – this hamper has all that you need for a series of scrumptious veggie meals and tasty treats to keep those busy new parents fuelled.

 

 

8. An Evening In Gift Hamper £60
When your loved ones are busy at home with a newborn, they might be missing date nights and dinners out! Why not bring the luxury home with this Evening In Gift Hamper? This Evening In Hamper has a selection of artisan smoked foods including Sliced Smoked Salmon, Smoked Sea Bass Fillet, Smoked Chicken Breast, and Smoked Cheddar with Paprika, accompanied by Horseradish Cream, Sweet Chilli Jam and indulgent Dark Chocolate Coated Coffee Beans. These delicious products can elevate simple and tasty meals – just add a bag of salad or seasonal greens, or add these to a simple stir-fry or pasta dish.

 

9. Little Grazing Feast Hamper £55
For those busy new parents, this Little Grazing Feast Hamper is a superb solution for grabbing a quick nibble on-the-go. With a tasty assortment of gently smoked foods, accompaniments and a delicious Dark Chocolate Bar with Cocoa Nibs, this hamper is a real treat for only £55!

 

 

10. Pescatarian Feast Hamper £135
For a new mum who has spent the last 9 months dreaming of a Smoked Salmon brunch, our Pescatarian Feast Hamper provides everything needed for total fishy foodie heaven! With the finest fishy goods from Black Mountains Smokery, this hamper makes an in ideal celebratory gift. Including a range of savoury and sweet goodies, this hamper will provide new parents with versatile and ready-to-eat artisanal produce, fit for a Pescatarian Feast! This truly is the perfect gift for any fish lovers – especially those short on time!

Adam Byatt’s Springtime Smoked Chicken Salad Recipe

This fabulous recipe celebrates the pairing of new season’s asparagus, peas and broad beans with Smoked Chicken

Serves  6

Ingredients

For the salad –
2 Smoked Chicken Breasts – shredded
80g/3oz new season Broad Beans, podded
3 Little Gem lettuces
80g/3oz tiny boiled Pembroke Early Potatoes- boiled & chilled
3 Radishes, thinly sliced and in iced water
80g/3oz fresh Peas, podded
6 Asparagus spears
2 Spring Onions, thinly sliced and in iced water
Halen Môn Sea Salt and freshly ground black Pepper
Edible flowers, Salad Cress, Rocket Leaves

For the salad cream –
2 Eggs, soft boiled for 5 minutes and peeled
15g/½oz Sugar
10g/⅓oz Halen Môn Sea Salt
35g/1¼oz Chardonnay Wine Vinegar
250ml/9fl oz Cotswold Gold Rapeseed Oil
25ml/2 tbsp Double Cream

Blanch the broad beans and asparagus in boiling water for 1–2 minutes. Place in iced water to refresh.

Make the salad cream in a food processor. Blend the eggs, sugar, Halen Môn Sea Salt and vinegar with 100ml/3½fl oz water, then slowly drizzle in the Cotswold Gold Rapeseed Oil with the blender on. Once the ingredients are fully combined, finish with the cream. Pass the dressing through a sieve and set aside.

Shred the Smoked Chicken Breasts into strips and set aside. Remove the leaves from the Little Gems, wash and transfer to the iced water.

Put the lettuce, potatoes, radish, peas, asparagus, broad beans and spring onions into a salad spinner to dry. Transfer to a large bowl with the Smoked Chicken, toss with some of the salad cream and season with Halen Môn Sea Salt and black pepper.

Arrange the salad on a serving platter, and garnish with edible flowers, salad cress & rocket leaves.

Serve with a jug of salad cream to share and enjoy!

P.S. Lovage makes a beautiful addition to the salad if you have some in your garden or you can get your hands on it!

P.P.S. This salad is equally delicious served with Oak Roasted Salmon! 

Please order now for Easter!

Easter Sunday is the 20th April this year; our order date recommendations are below:

If you’d like to enjoy one of our succulent Glazed Hams then we need your order by Monday 7th April (less than a week away) because they are produced to order.

Find the perfect foodie contribution for  the Easter weekend and make any host very happy!  Delicious and very easy to prepare.

We aim to take LAST ORDERS for delivery before Easter on Friday 11th April however you can still order online or over the phone the week before the Easter weekend. We always try our best to honour last-minute orders however ordering in advance helps us to plan our production and deliver the freshest produce on your day of choice.

The LAST DELIVERY DATE before Easter is Thursday 17th April (no deliveries on Good Friday as it’s a bank holiday).

We’ve created a whole category dedicated to the best Easter Holiday Food & Hampers including our lovely Little Easter Feast £60 (pictured below). From fabulous whole hams and sides of smoked salmon for family and entertaining to luxury gourmet hampers like our splendid Tapas Luxury Feast £215 (pictured below) for party meals and sharing, there’s a great selection available.

 

We’ve got a gorgeous selection of gourmet Mother’s Day Food Hamper Gifts this year!

We’re a family business so family days are close to our heart – and this year an extra speicial one – our daughter Hetta has recently become a new mum.

Mother’s Day is a celebration honouring a mother’s impact within their family. It is an oppurtunity to show love and appreciation to those who shape our lives since birth.

There’s something for all the mothers and your special others out there; from our brand new Mother’s Day Special Hamper (below left) Classic Smoked Salmon, Fizz and Chocolate treat (below right) to our Welsh Cheese, Little Fish or Vegetarian Gift Hampers & Boxes.

                                                  Our beautifully presented hampers are packed full of ready-to-eat nibbles and simple suppers so pre-order your gift and let your Mum put her feet up and relax with some scrummy treats on Sunday 10th March.

We can arrange for your Mother’s Day Food Hamper Gift to be delivered directly if you can’t be with her yourself or pop into our shop and collect your gift if you’re lucky enough to be spending the day with her – maybe a delicious Smoked Salmon breakfast in bed!

And if you’re looking for a vegetarian gift…. this veggie delight is the perfect balance of hearty food and tempting treats.

 

Food gifts by post delivered on your day of choice

Did you know that Wales is the world’s second-best recycling nation?

At Black Mountains Smokery, we recognise the importance of food sustainability and recycling, and we strive to make our small business as environmentally friendly as we can. This year we are supporting ‘Be Mighty. Recycle.’, an initiative that aims to prevent food waste and raise greater awareness around recycling.
Black Mountains Smokery is proud to produce a versatile range of ready-to-eat goods – produce that is of the highest quality, healthy and traceable. We have also spent time developing recipes that incorporate our whole range of produce – providing recipe ideas for anyone in need of some inspiration for their left-over goodies in their fridge!

 

 

At Black Mountains Smokery, we operate with sustainability in mind – using packaging that is recyclable and compostable when possible. We actively minimise our food waste – using excess smoked fish and trims to make our delicious range of smoked fish pâté. When our stock nears its use by date, it is either frozen and sold at a discounted price in our shop (or enjoyed in our staff kitchen!). All food waste from production, mainly fishbones, is recycled.

Our produce is smoked over Welsh oak chips that are unprocessed and entirely chemical-free. The oak chips and shavings are biproduct from local carpenters, including the Cadw workshop, which uses natural oak to restore and protect Wales’ historic buildings.

Find out more about Be Mighty. Recycle here.

Prepare the perfect food for Pancake Day.

Here are a few of our favourites to go with both sweet and savoury pancakes! Do pop to the shop and stock up on some goodies ready for Tuesday!

Ingredients

100g Wholemeal flour
300ml Milk
2 Large eggs, beaten
50g Welsh Dragon butter, melted and cooled

Toppings
200g Smoked Salmon
6 tbsp Crème fraîche
1 Lemon, juiced
A sprinkling of Welshman’s Caviar
4 sprigs of dill (optional)

Put the plain flour, eggs, milk, butter, and a pinch of Halen Mon sea salt into a bowl & whisk to a smooth batter.

Set a frying pan over medium heat and melt a knob of butter.

When hot, pour in your batter & cook the pancakes until golden on both sides, keeping them warm in a low oven as you go.

To make the toppings, mix the crème fraîche with the lemon juice – you could also add some dill here too. Top the pancakes with some smoked salmon and a dollop of Crème Fraiche and sprinkle with some yummy Welshman’s caviar.

We don’t need to tell you what to do with these!

Just make the pancakes in just the same way and simply add lashings or generous scoops of whatever takes your fancy whether it be scrumptious Caramel Sauce, silky Natural Yogurt, or local Welsh Honey, and ENJOY! Maybe leave out the seaweed on these – Ha!

Here are some other scrummy recipes to tantalise the taste buds…

Smoked Salmon pancake recipe

https://www.smoked-foods.co.uk/recipes/smoked-salmon-and-laverbread-pancakes-recipe/

Smoked Duck pancake

https://www.smoked-foods.co.uk/recipes/smoked-duck-pancakes/

In Russia Shrove Tuesday is known as blini day, why not try something different this year to pancakes and if your really feeling fancy add some Caviar too!

https://www.smoked-foods.co.uk/recipes/smoked-salmon-laverbread-blinis-recipe/

 

On the 1st of March most of you probably know that we celebrate St. David’s Day here in Wales. It’s a celebration of the feast of St. David, our Patron Saint, that’s taken place since the 18th century.

“Do the little things” is considered St. David’s most famous phrase and was one of the last words he spoke.

So why not send a Welsh Hamper full of Welsh produce to surprise a loved one! Our Welsh Hampers are perfect to brighten up the day of any Welshman or woman, wherever they may be in the UK, and remind them of home.

Create the perfect St David’s Day Feast with one of our favourite Welsh Hampers:

                                                                            Little Cwtch Hamper Box                                                                        Luxury Cwtch Hamper Box

 

Our hampers are filled to the brim with the finest award-winning artisan produce, all sourced from like-minded Welsh producers ensuring both integrity and fine flavour.

                                                                   Really Welsh Gourmet Hamper                                                                   Little Dragon Feast Gift Hamper

 

Take a look at some of our recipes for some inspiration on how to cook up a Welsh feast fit for a king… we recommend trying the Smoked Sausage and White Bean Stew, using our Welsh Dragon Pork Sausages to warm the soul! Or celebrate our national vegetable by whipping up a lovely Leek & Smoked Haddock Rissotto. Or really spoil yourselves by whipping up some Smoked Salmon and Laverbread Blini’s as a starter or a seriously indulgent breakfast…simply scrumptious!

Who was St. David?

Saint David comes from a royal lineage, his father, Ceredig ap Cundedda was Prince of Ceredigion, and rumour has it that his mother Non, also a saint, was the niece of King Arthur.

There are many stories of Saint David’s miracles, including bringing a boy back to life and restoring a man’s sight. The shrine of St David at St David’s cathedral is in St Davids, Pembrokeshire – the smallest city in Britain.

King Edward I took the head and arm of St David from the Cathedral after his conquest of Wales in 1284. He displayed the remains along with several other holy relics in London.

The most famous miracle of Saint David occurred in Llanddewi Brefi. According to legend, a huge crowd turned up to hear one of his sermons. To allow everyone to see him, he placed a handkerchief on the floor and stood on it. Thereupon, a small hill raised him from under his feet, allowing everyone a good view!

Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus!

We love a warming minestrone soup.  This recipe is from Jo’s Mum from her days living in Italy. The trick is to remember the 7p’s – passata, parmesan, potatoes, parsley, pulses, peas and pasta!

A great way to use up leftovers of Christmas Ham

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 x tablespoons Fino Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 x large carrot peeled & diced
2 x celery sticks diced
1 x large onion diced
4 x garlic cloves grated
400ml chicken/ham/turkey/game stock
1/2 x jar of tomato passata or chopped tomatoes
2 bay leaves
A handful of chopped parsley (keep finely chopped stalks separately)
200g Black Mountains Smokery Honey Glazed Free Range Ham
1 x parmesan with rind
100g potatoes peeled & cubed
100g small pasta (macaroni/conchigliette/ditali piccoli)
100g frozen peas
1x tin borlotti beans/cannellini beans

Soften the carrot, celery and onion in a pan with the olive oil. Add the garlic and chopped parsley stalks cook for a few minutes.

Then add passata, stock, parmesan rind, cubed potato and the bay leaves then simmer until potato nearly cooked.

Add the pasta and after 5 minutes the beans and the diced ham, return to simmer adding more stock if needed.

 Finally add the peas and return to simmer by which time they will be cooked.

Finish with parsley and extra grated parmesan and serve with fresh buttered Sourdough bread.

Our 2025 diary is already filling up with autumn events and charity fairs, keep an eye out for updates and further information. We’ll be sampling and selling our traditionally oak-smoked salmon, duck, chicken & cheeses, alongside lots of other fabulous Welsh produce and we’ll be ready to take your Christmas (!) orders.

All the information is below, hopefully there’s an event near you this year.  Follow the links to buy tickets and we’ll look forward to seeing you there!

 

SEPTEMBER

Abergavenny Food Festival
When: Saturday 2oth & Sunday 21st September 2025
Where: Abergavenny Market Hall, Monmouthshire, NP7 5EH
Time: Saturday: 9:30am – 6:00pm. Sunday: 9:30am – 5:00pm

OCTOBER

Hampshire Fair
When: Wednesday 1st October 2025
Where: The Grange, Northington, Alresford, SO24 9TZ
Time: 9:30am – 4pm

Daisy Trust 
When: Monday 6th October 2025
Where: St Dionis Church & CAS Halls, London, SW6 4UH
Time: 9am-5pm

The Dummer Fair
When: Wednesday 8th October & Thursday 9th 2025
Where: Dummer Cricket Centre, Dummer, Hampshire RG25 2AR
Time: Wednesday 6pm – 9pm & Thursday 9.30am to 3.30pm

The Essex Gift Fair:
Where: The Summer Marquee City Racecourse, Chelmsford CM3 1QP
When: Tuesday 14th October 2025
Time: 10am – 3pm

The Rockbourne Fair in aid of Stars Appeal Salisbury District Hospital
When: Wednesday 15th & Thursday 16th & Friday 17th October 2025
Where: Salisbury Racecourse
Time: Wednesday 10am – 5.30pm & Thursday 9.30am – 7.30pm (Late Night Shopping!) & Friday 9.30am – 3pm

New Horizons Christmas Fair in aid of St Catherine’s Hospice
Where: Greentree’s Estate, High St, Haywards Heath RH17 6JZ.
When: Wednesday 22nd October 2025
Time: 9:30am – 4pm

Hungerford Christmas Fair
When: Friday 24th & Saturday 25th October 2025
Where: The Town Hall & Corn Exchange, Hungerford RG17 0NF
Time: 10:00am – 4:00pm

NOVEMBER

Wirral Bazaar
When: Monday 3rd & Tuesday 4th November 2025
Where: Hulme Hall, Port Sunlgiht, 23 Bolton Road, Bebington, Wirral, CH62 5DH
Time: Monday 2pm – 8:30pm & Tuesday 9:30am – 3pm.

Hanmer Autumn Fayre 2024, in aid of The League of Friends of RJAH Orthopaedic Hospital
When: Thursday 6th November 2025
Where: Hanmer Church, SY13 3DG (just 5 mins from Whitchurch)
Time: 12pm-7pm

Ludlow Christmas Fair, in aid of The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
When: Monday 17th & Tuesday 18th November 2025
Where: Ludlow Racecourse, Bromfield, Shropshire, SY8 2BT
Time: Monday: 6pm-8pm & Tuesday: 9:30am – 3:30pm

Wealden Times Midwinter Fair
When: Thursday 14th, Friday 15th & Saturday 16th November 2024
Where: The Hop Farm Paddock Wood Tonbridge Kent TN12 6PY
Time: 9.00am – 5.00pm

Mendip Christmas Fair, in aid The Guild of Friends of The Bristol Royal Hospital for Children and Children’s Hospice South West
When: Saturday 16th & Sunday 17th November 2024
Where: Aldwick Estate, Redhill, Bristol, BS40 5AL
Time: Saturday 10:00am – 5:00pm Sunday 10:00am – 4:00pm

Spirit of the Vale Christmas Fair
When: Wednesday 19th November 2025
Where: Tbd
Time: Tbd

South Oxfordshire Christmas Fair
When: Tuesday 18th November 2025
Where: The Oxfordshire Golf, Hotel and Spa, Rycote Ln, Milton Common, Thame OX9 2PU
Time: 9:30am- 4pm.

Clem’s Christmas Fair – Compton Marbling
When: Friday 21st & Saturday 22nd November 2025
Where: Compton Marbling, Lower Lawn Barns, Fonthill Gifford, Tisbury, Wiltshire, SP3 6SG
Time: 10:00am – 5:00pm

Wincanton Christmas Fair, in aid of Children’s Hospice South West
When: Tuesday 25th November 2025
Where: Wincanton Racecourse, Wincanton, BA9 8BJ
Time: 10:00am – 4:00pm

Beaufort Christmas Fair, in aid of Youth Action Wiltshire and Wiltshire Air Ambulance.
When: Tuesday 25th November 2024
Where: Newnton Dairy Farm, Long Newnton, Wiltshire, SN16 9SR
Time: 9:30am- 8pm

Presents Galore Christmas Fair, in aid of Cambridge Children’s Hospital, Newmarket Charitable Foundation & The National Horse Racing Museum
When: Friday 28th, Saturday 29th & Sunday 30th November 2025
Where: Millennium Grandstand, Rowley Mile Racecourse Stands, Newmarket CB8 0TF (in the bistro)
Time: Friday 4:00pm – 8:00pm – Saturday 10:00am – 5:00pm – Sunday 10:00am – 4:00pm

DECEMBER

Black Mountains Smokery Tasting Day
When: Saturday 7th December 2024
Where: Black Mountains Smokery, Elvicta Trading Estate, Crickhowell, NP8 1DF
Time: 10:00am – 3:00pm. Shop will be open until 5pm.

City Christmas Fair, in aid of Wellbeing of Women
When: Monday 1st December 2025
Where: The Draper’s Hall, Throgmorton Ave, London EC2N 2DQ
Time: 11.00am – 8.00pm

 

The red pins show where we will be at a fair this year, we hope you are near enough to come and pay us a visit!

It’s that time of year again! Valentine’s Day is nearly upon us.  Why not break away from the norm and wine and dine your loved one by treating them to a luxurious evening in with our range of utterly spoiling Valentine’s Day Gifts? What food lover would not be anything less than delighted to receive a delicious parcel of artisan goodies!

Watch our hamper unboxing videos for some Valentine’s gifting inspiration!

Classic Smoked Salmon & Fizz Gift

Luxury Smoked Salmon & Fizz Gift

Little Food Lovers Gift Hamper

We have created a hamper category of great gifts for your loved one. Whether your budget is big or small, our Valentine’s Hampers for Food Lovers have something for everyone. Ranging from smaller treat boxes starting at £55 to more opulent hampers like the Luxury Smoked Salmon & Fizz with Champagne at £120. The top picks include all the classics; Smoked Salmon, Chocolate Truffles & one of our delicious bottles of fizz.

Fulfill those desires, whether it be for your Valentine, or just somebody you really care about. You could enjoy a Valentine’s Day Hamper together or send one to those you can’t be with. Think of your ‘Cariad’  – the Welsh word for both Love and Sweetheart.  We hope that you and your Cariad will enjoy them, whether you are together or apart.

Food Lovers Gift Box £85                                Classic Smoked Salmon & Champagnoise £65

Our Valentine’s Day Hampers are created as a luxury treat of gourmet indulgence. Our award-winning Smoked Salmon can be used for a plentiful breakfast, opulent snacks & canapés, or a very special dinner for two. Enjoy with other delightful smoked foods and accompaniments for the perfect Valentine’s surprise.

If you like the look of these hampers but feel something is missing, just give us a ring and we can work with you to add extras, or perhaps start from scratch and create the perfect bespoke hamper, tailored to your desires! 01873 811 566

Winter Warming Comfort Food

One of the best ways to get through these colder months is to try some comforting, satisfying and super-delicious winter warmer recipes. Our selection of soups, stews, bakes and casserole dishes will help keep you cosy through the colder months.

We’ve got some great offers on frozen Smoked Chicken, Duck & Ham so if you’re a local customer pop into our Smokery shop and take pot-luck in our freezer!  Or you can visit our Winter Sale Online…. While stocks last!

Try our take on some classic dishes to get you started:

Smoked Chicken, Artichoke, Cherry Tomato and Potato Bake

Smokey Jo’s Minestrone

Smokey Welsh Tartiflette

Smoked Chicken Filo Pie

Smoked Haddock Leek & Orzo Gratin

Smoked Haddock & Celeriac Bake

Smoked Haddock & Clam Chowder

Welsh Dragon Sausage Cassoulet

Smoked Duck Noodle Soup

Fish Pie with Crisp Potato Topping

A delicious hearty winter warmer inspired by a vegetarian recipe from Rukmini Iyer.

Serves 3

Ingredients

170g Smoked Chicken Breast 
2 Leeks, finely sliced
 2 tbsp Olive Oil 
200g Plain Flour
3 Free-range Eggs
300ml Milk
200g Feta Cheese, crumbled
Cherry Tomatoes on the vine 250g
1 x 290g jar of Artichoke hearts, sliced and drained
15g Fresh Dill, roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 210C fan/gas mark 8. While it’s heating, slice the leeks, tip them into a metal roasting tin along with the olive oil, mix well, then pop them into the oven to roast while you get on with the batter.

Put the flour into a bowl. Whisk the eggs and milk together, pour this over the flour and whisk until smooth, then stir in the crumbled feta cheese.

Cut the Smoked Chicken Breast into chunks.

Once the oven has come to temperature, remove the tin of leeks, give them a good stir, then pour the batter evenly over the top.

Scatter over the tomatoes, their vines, the Smoked Chicken and the artichokes, then return to the oven and cook for 25-30 minutes, until the bake is well risen and golden brown.

Sprinkle with the roughly chopped dill, serve with a fresh salad, baby potatoes and enjoy.

A wonderful Christmas Leftovers Smoked Chicken and Ham Pie Recipe

Serves 6 as a main course

Ingredients

750g Smoked Chicken and Ham
2 leeks
1 white onion
6 mushrooms
1 pint whole milk
Bunch of tarragon
2 tbsp Plain flour
Block of puff pastry
1 egg yolk
Fino Olive Oil
Dijon mustard
Salt and black pepper

Preheat your oven to 180c

Cut up your leftover Smoked Chicken and Ham into bitesize chunks.

Finely slice your leeks and onions.

Place the leeks and onion in a frying pan with a splash of olive oil. Gently brown them before adding the Smoked Chicken and Ham chunks, and mushrooms.

Add a large handful of chopped tarragon. Stir and then add 2 heaped tablespoons of flour.

Mix in the flour ensuring that it is absorbed, then slowly add the milk, each time stirring to combine. Continue stirring until you have a thick pie filling. Season with salt and pepper then remove from the heat.

Pour the contents of your frying pan into a heat-proof dish and lay your thinly rolled puff pastry on top. Trim the sides and brush the top with an egg yolk.

Place in the oven for 30 minutes or until the pastry has puffed up and it is golden.

Serve with a salad and enjoy your pie with a dollop of Dijon mustard!

Year round we have, essentially, a small but fantastic team. Corinne our fabulous and resilient Production Manager heads up her team with Alex and Ben.

In the office Millie and Tamara are our mainstays, who handle our social media and helps Jo with day to day office admin.

Jonathan runs the warehouse with the help of Emma, our lovely student from Harper Adams University. Hattie our most loyal Christmas temp has returned to help manage the warehouse.

And then for Christmas everything changes!
Hugh, our son, ran our Christmas warehouse last year. He has returned this year to give a helping hand whilst on holiday from his new venture at Pasture Greens.

Rhys returned this year. A longer stay temp last year, Rhys knows the ropes of our small family business and is a capable hand in the Warehouse.

 

Zsazsi was the first of our Christmas temps to join us this year, a local gappy she is saving over the chaotic Christmas season to fund her gap year.

Tabby, a local friend of Zsazsi’s and a family friend from the village, is also joining us for her gap year, and will travel South Africa next year volunteering and doing conservation work before studying medicine at university.

Returning for a second year Max is another of Christmas packers. He brought along a friend from university, Charlie. They made a wonderfully dynamic team in the warehouse this year.

Charlie Gedge also joined us this Christmas as a packer in the warehouse, a family friend from the village, Charlie followed in his older sisters footsteps making a wonderful addition to the team.

Hannah joined us this year in production, her brother Will has worked for us for the last two Christmas’ and both have been a wonderful addition to the BMS team.

John returned for the second year running to help pack parcels beautifully during the Christmas chaos.

 

A massive thank you to all our amazing staff, the dedication and care of whom at every point of production allows us to maintain our provenance and delightful customer base.

Merry Christmas everyone, time for a well earned break!

Spoil the men in your life this Christmas with one of our popular and delicious artisan Smoked Food Gift Box Hampers; we have an extensive range of festive gifts for men to suit every taste and budget.

Maybe you’re struggling for ideas or you might know exactly what you want. We’ve put together a list of suggestions for the perfect food gift by post this Christmas for a boyfriend, husband, father, brother, or male friend.

1) Make him feel extra special with the top-class Gourmet Meat Feast Hamper £130.

2) If you want to spend a cosy night together with your husband or boyfriend this Christmas then set the mood with our Evening In Gift Hamper £60.

3) For a spectacularly meaty feast we have the Smoked Meat Feast Gift Box Hamper £85 that will suit all the meat-lovers.

4) Show the men in your life some gourmet foodie love with the Tapas Luxury Feast Gift Hamper £215.

5) All the men we know love cheese especially at Christmas time so the Welsh Cheese Board Gift Hamper is the ultimate gift for cheese-lovers £99.

6) A fuss-free slap up breakfast is just the ticket at Christmas so treat him to a Welsh Breakfast Gift Box Hamper £60.

7) The Little Meat Feast Gift Hamper showcases a selection of smoked meat, cheese and gourmet delights £50.

8) Flavoursome and fiery, a hamper box that packs a punch is the Little Dragon Feast Gift Box Hamper £80, the absolutely perfect gift for chilli lovers.

9) The Classic Crickhowell Wicker Gift Hamper £290 is hands-down the best way to show your appreciation for that special man in your life.

10) And for something a little luxurious and romantic he will surely love the Cariad Luxury Hamper Box £115

We can also offer suggestions to create a best-selling Christmas artisan food hamper that’s tailor-made to your requirements and sure to delight any of the men you’re buying for this festive season. And don’t forget that all our gifts can be made even more special with the addition of a bottle from our Drinks Cellar or a box of indulgent handmade chocolate truffles!

Call or email our office to discuss – 01873 811566 or email us.

Please order in advance to avoid disappointment!

It can be hard to strike the right balance with a corporate gift, whether it’s for a client or an employee so we’ve carefully curated a selection of our best-selling corporate foodie gifts by post to help you make the right decision.

However big or small your order is we have a range of luxury smoked food gift boxes and hampers so you can show your personal appreciation and say a memorable and festive thank you to a  client or an employee with our artisan produce. We can organise bulk deliveries (there’s no minimum or maximum amount) of corporate gift boxes or hampers to your required destinations across the UK on a specified day.

There are many more to choose from on our website; we have a selection to cater for all tastes and budgets from meat and cheese lovers to a simple but luxurious side of cold smoked or oak roasted salmon. Add a box of handmade chocolates or a bottle of delicious celebratory champagne to any of our hampers for an extra special touch.

1) Always popular and showcasing the very best of excellent quality Welsh produce is our Really Welsh Gourmet Gift Hamper £99 A really lovely way to show your appreciation to your employees.

 

2) Our Taste For Two is a corporate bestseller and the perfect way to sample our best-selling smoked goodies £60.

3) The Food Lovers Gift Box Hamper filled with delicious smoked fish, meat, and Welsh artisan chocolate to tantalize the tastebuds of your most important clients £85

 

4) The Classic Crickhowell Wicker Gift Hamper is our ultimate food hamper overflowing with delicious produce and the perfect way to say thank you to a big client or an extra special employee £290.

5) Our Traditional Oak Smoked Salmon sides are simply dry-cured on a bed of salt, without sugar, and gently cold-smoked over Welsh oak £47.65 – £59.95

Add a bottle of champagne and a box of locally made chocolate truffles – Luxury Smoked Salmon & Fizz Gift £120

6) We also offer Oak Roasted Salmon Sides; mildly smoky, deliciously succulent and ready to eat £52. Add a beautiful Bespoke Oak Presentation Platter

7) For a tempting vegetarian gift we can offer the Little Vegetarian Feast filled with a variety of products from cheese, honey, seeds and sweet treats to make a perfect veggie gift £58.75

8) Our spectacular Welsh Cheese Board Gift Hamper combines wonderful cheeses from Wales with delicious crackers and chutneys for any cheese loving employees! £99

9) The Smoked Salmon Gift Box Hamper should satisfy any pescatarians out there, a scrumptious selection filled to the brim with all of the classics £85.

10) Another fantastically gorgeous gourmet food gift The Brecon Feast Wicker Hamper, a top quality gift for your client or employee to enjoy with friends and family £285

We can also offer suggestions to create a unique artisan food hamper that’s tailor-made to your requirements and sure to delight any client or employee.

“We have given our clients many hampers over the past several years. So many of them have commented that they were always packed full with delicious food, no space wasted by filling as in other firms packing. I can warmly recommend Black Mountain Smokery to everyone. It’s a special company offering great things” Luke Lillingston September 2022

Call or email our office to discuss – 01873 811566.

Please order in advance to avoid disappointment!

 

Our top ten best-selling Christmas gift hampers are filled with gourmet smoked foods and other artisan treats for those discerning food lovers on your gift list.

We all want to give the perfect Christmas present and we have lots of suggestions for the best gourmet food lovers gifts including Smoked Salmon, Smoked Chicken, Smoked Duck, Smoked Cheese, and plenty of great quality Welsh produce.

Place your order in advance for our food hampers by post and sign up to our newsletter to recieve a Christmas early-bird offer. We generally close our Christmas order book around the 15th December, so make sure to place your order well in advance to secure a delivery slot!

We can send directly to your loved ones this Christmas and make your gift buying as stress-free as possible! These luxury food hampers are bursting with festive food – they are our food lovers top sellers for a reason.

1) The classic Christmas gift for food lovers; a side of Traditional Smoked Salmon between £47.65 & £59.95. Or make it ultra-luxurious and send it alongside a box of handmade truffles and a bottle of champagne – Luxury Smoked Salmon Gift £120.00.

2) Our Taste For Two is a top-seller every Christmas and a great way for food lovers to sample our best-selling smoked goodies £60.

3) Neatly packed into a branded gift box and filled with irresistible gourmet smoked meats, fish & cheese, The Smoked Food Gift Box Hamper £85.

4) The Gourmet Deli Gift Hamper is another Black Mountains Smokery food lovers best-seller and a really good choice for the discerning artisan food lover £99.

5) The Sugarloaf Luxury Wicker Gift Hamper is an ultimate food lovers hamper overflowing with delicious produce and the perfect way to say ‘Happy Christmas’ £425.

6) For a simple but luxurious food lovers treat send one of our beautifully packaged Oak Roasted Salmon Sides, mildly smoky, deliciously succulent, and ready to eat £52. Add an Oak Platter or a bottle of fizz from our Drinks Cellar for that extra special touch.

7) For a tempting cheese lovers gift we can offer the Little Cheese Feast filled with a variety of Welsh cheeses, crackers and a sweet treat £50.

8) Our spectacularly yummy Tapas Treats Gift Hamper is filled with great gourmet produce for an award-winning food lovers antipasti platter £99.

9) The Smoked Salmon Gift Box Hamper should satisfy any pescatarians out there; a delicious selection filled to the brim with all of the classics £85.

10) And last but not least The Food Lovers Gift Box Hamper filled with smokey fish, meat, and Welsh artisan chocolate to satisfy any food lover £85.

There are many more to choose from on our website; we have a selection to cater to all food lovers tastes and budgets. Add a beautiful Welsh Oak Platter, a box of handmade chocolates or a bottle of delicious celebratory champagne to any of our hampers for an extra special touch.

We can also offer suggestions to create a unique artisan food hamper that’s tailor-made to your requirements. Call or email our office to discuss – 01873 811 566 or contact us by email

For all those Smoked Fish fanatics and Pescatarians we have compiled our top ten best-selling Smoked Fish Hampers and Smoked Salmon and Smoked Trout Sides that are ideal for Christmas gifting this year.
Send a hamper box of artisan gourmet gifts to a fish lover to bring some festive cheer. Our Smoked Food is great to have on hand for Christmas entertaining and these luxury Smoked Fish gifts are the complete package.
1) The Smoked Salmon Gift Box Hamper is the ultimate selection of our Great Taste Award Winning smoked salmon – filled to the brim with all of our classics £85.

2) Our Traditional Oak Smoked Salmon sides are dry-cured on a bed of salt, without sugar, and gently cold-smoked over Welsh oak. A simple food gift by post to say Happy Christmas! From £47.65.
3) The Little Fish Feast Gift Hamper is a selection of smoked fish & gourmet accompaniments; a really lovely gift for the artisan smoked food lover this Christmas £50.

4) An equally delightful gift could be an Oak Smoked Salmon Side; mildly smoky, deliciously succulent, and ready to place on the Christmas table £52.

5) Sweet cured using a traditional festive Scandinavian marinade of aromatic dill, sugar and crushed black peppercorns, our sliced Gravadlax is sure to please any smoked fish lover £46.95 to £59.75

6) The Pescatarian Feast Hamper is our big-hitter for all dedicated smoked fish fanatics; we’ve included local handmade truffles and a selection of accompaniments £135
7) Chalkstream freshwater Cold Smoked Trout Side is another popular gift choice. Why not add a bottle or a box of chocolates for an extra special touch? £41.85

8) Our Smoked Fish Gift Box Hamper is a luxurious selection of gourmet oak smoked fish that’s perfect for a party platter or several delicious fuss-free meals £85
9) If you want to say a special thank you to a family member or friend this year then try the Classic Luxury Cariad Gift with Champagne, it really is a perfect gift particularly for those who are difficult to buy for! £120

10) And last but not least we can send a beautifully packaged Peppered Roasted Salmon Side, winner of a Great Taste Award this year, direct to your lucky Christmas recipient £52

We can also offer suggestions to create a unique artisan food hamper that’s tailor-made to your requirements and sure to delight any fish-lover.

Call or email our office to discuss – 01873 811566.

Please order early to avoid disappointment!

Our 2024 diary is already filling up with autumn events and charity fairs, keep an eye out for updates and further information. We’ll be sampling and selling our traditionally oak-smoked salmon, duck, chicken & cheeses, alongside lots of other fabulous Welsh produce and we’ll be ready to take your Christmas (!) orders.

All the information is below, hopefully there’s an event near you this year.  Follow the links to buy tickets and we’ll look forward to seeing you there!

SEPTEMBER

Abergavenny Food Festival
When: Saturday 21st & Sunday 22nd September 2024
Where: Abergavenny Market Hall, Monmouthshire, NP7 5EH
Time: Saturday: 9:30am – 6:00pm. Sunday: 9:30am – 5:00pm

OCTOBER

New Horizons Autumn Gift Fair in aid of St Catherine’s Hospice
When: Tuesday 1st October 2024
Where: The Norfolk Pavilion, South of England Showground, Ardingly, West Sussex, RH17 6T
Time: 9:30am start

Hampshire Fair
When: Wednesday 2nd October 2024
Where: The Grange, Northington, Alresford, SO24 9TZ
Time: 9:30am – 4pm

Daisy Trust 
When: Monday 7th October 2024
Where: St Dionis Church & CAS Halls, London, SW6 4UH
Time: 9am-5pm Download details

The Dummer Fair
When: Wednesday 9th October & Thursday 10th 2024
Where: Dummer Cricket Centre, Dummer, Hampshire RG25 2AR
Time: Wednesday 6pm – 9pm & Thursday 9.30am to 3.30pm

The Rockbourne Fair in aid of Stars Appeal Salisbury District Hospital
When: Wednesday 16th & Thursday 17th & Friday 18th October 2024
Where: Salisbury Racecourse
Time: Wednesday 10am – 5.30pm & Thursday 9.30am – 7.30pm (Late Night Shopping!) & Friday 9.30am – 3pm  Download details 

NOVEMBER

Hungerford Christmas Fair
When: Friday 1st & Saturday 2nd November 2024
Where: The Town Hall & Corn Exchange, Hungerford RG17 0NF
Time: 10:00am – 4:00pm Download Details

Wirral Bazaar
When: Monday 4th & Tuesday 5th November 2024
Where: Hulme Hall, Port Sunlgiht, 23 Bolton Road, Bebington, Wirral, CH62 5DH
Time: Monday 2pm – 8:30pm & Tuesday 9:30am – 3pm.

Hanmer Autumn Fayre 2024, in aid of The League of Friends of RJAH Orthopaedic Hospital
When: Thursday 7th November 2024
Where: Hanmer Church, SY13 3DG (just 5 mins from Whitchurch)
Time: 12pm-7pm

Ludlow Christmas Fair, in aid of The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
When: Tuesday 12th November 2024
Where: Ludlow Racecourse, Bromfield, Shropshire, SY8 2BT
Time: 9:30am – 3:30pm

Wealden Times Midwinter Fair
When: Thursday 14th, Friday 15th & Saturday 16th November 2024
Where: The Hop Farm Paddock Wood Tonbridge Kent TN12 6PY
Time: 9.00am – 5.00pm

Mendip Christmas Fair, in aid The Guild of Friends of The Bristol Royal Hospital for Children and Children’s Hospice South West
When: Saturday 16th & Sunday 17th November 2024
Where: Aldwick Estate, Redhill, Bristol, BS40 5AL
Time: Saturday 10:00am – 5:00pm Sunday 10:00am – 4:00pm

Oxfordshire Christmas Fair
When: Tuesday 19th November 2024
Where: The Oxfordshire Golf Club, Rycote Lane, Milton Common, OX9 2PU
Time: 9:30am – 3:00pm

The Woburn Luxury Gift Fair in aid of the NSPCC
When: Tuesday 19th & Wednesday 20th November 2024
Where: Woburn Safari Lodge, Woburn Safari Park (Tues entrance: Star Lodge MK17 9DW and Wed entrance: Turnpike Road MK43 0XB)
Time: Tuesday 6:00pm – 9.00pm & Wednesday 9:30am – 4:00pm

South Oxfordshire Christmas Fair
When: Tuesday 19th November 2024
Where: The Oxfordshire Golf, Hotel and Spa, Rycote Ln, Milton Common, Thame OX9 2PU
Time: 9:30am- 4pm. Download details

Clem’s Christmas Fair – Compton Marbling
When: Friday 22nd & Saturday 23rd November 2024
Where: Compton Marbling, Lower Lawn Barns, Fonthill Gifford, Tisbury, Wiltshire, SP3 6SG
Time: 10:00am – 5:00pm

Wincanton Christmas Fair, in aid of Children’s Hospice South West
When: Tuesday 26th November 2024
Where: Wincanton Racecourse, Wincanton, BA9 8BJ
Time: 10:00am – 4:00pm

Beaufort Christmas Fair, in aid of Youth Action Wiltshire and Wiltshire Air Ambulance.
When: Tuesday 26th November 2024
Where: Newnton Dairy Farm, Long Newnton, Wiltshire, SN16 9SR
Time: 9:30am- 8pm

Presents Galore Christmas Fair, in aid of Cambridge Children’s Hospital, Newmarket Charitable Foundation & The National Horse Racing Museum
When: Friday 29th, Saturday 30th November & Sunday 1st December 2024
Where: Millennium Grandstand, Rowley Mile Racecourse Stands, Newmarket CB8 0TF (in the bistro)
Time: Friday 4:00pm – 8:00pm – Saturday 10:00am – 5:00pm – Sunday 10:00am – 4:00pm

DECEMBER

Black Mountains Smokery Tasting Day
When: Saturday 7th December 2024
Where: Black Mountains Smokery, Elvicta Trading Estate, Crickhowell, NP8 1DF
Time: 10:00am – 3:00pm. Shop will be open until 5pm.

City Christmas Fair, in aid of Wellbeing of Women
When: Monday 2nd December 2024
Where: The Draper’s Hall, Throgmorton Ave, London EC2N 2DQ
Time: 11.00am – 8.00pm

The red pins in the image below are everywhere you can find us at a fair this year- hopefully not too far from you!

 

Our Artisan Food Stocking Fillers are carefully sourced and every supplier is a like-minded and trusted friend.

Fill your Christmas stockings with Welsh gourmet treats, luxury smoked foods and artisan drinks! All of our lovely products are supplied by wonderful, mostly Welsh, family producers. These little festive foodie finds are some of our most popular small presents, perfect for gifting or treating yourself with. Each one is under £10, so they make the perfect stocking fillers as you can mix and match to create the ideal package for your recipient.

 

1. Dark Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans: Premium coffee beans, roasted and then sealed in rich dark chocolate.
2. Smoked Pumpkin and Sunflower Seeds: A crisp light smoke gives these seeds a real depth of flavour.
3. Welsh Biltong: the perfect high protein snack, made on the George Family farm in Pembrokeshire from their own grass-fed Welsh beef.
4. Local Welsh Honeycomb: this charming local honeycomb is sweet, deliciously floral and untreated, leaving all the pollen goodness.
5. Halen Môn Salted Caramel Sauce: the perfect partner for apple crumble, chocolate brownies, hot porridge, shortbread biscuits, or straight from the jar.
6. Very Chilli Jam: Deliciously packed with chillies, peppers and local Three Saints cider vinegar.
7. Ginger in Ginger Syrup: delicious ginger wine syrup with chunks of ginger, a great addition to both sweet and savoury nibbles.
8. Aberffraw Shortbread: Handmade Welsh Shortbread Biscuits made in Aberffraw on Anglesey.
9. Welshman’s Caviar: handpicked laver seaweed from the Pembrokeshire coast, dried and toasted for depth of flavour, capturing mineral goodness from the sea.
10. Smoky Chilli Nuts: a mix of kiln-roasted nuts spiced with chipotle chilli & spices. A highly addictive, Christmassy snack!
11. Ginger in ginger syrup: delicious ginger wine syrup with chunks of ginger, a great addition to both sweet and savoury nibbles.

And for the adults why not add a beautiful miniature bottle of special Welsh spirits?

1. Barti Ddu Spiced Rum (5cl): This miniature Caribbean spiced rum is infused with Pembrokeshire laver seaweed to create a full and smooth spirit drink.
2. Aber Falls Dry Welsh Gin (5cl): A miniature bottle of a traditional London Dry style gin with a Welsh Twist..
3. Penderyn Madeira Whisky (5cl): Madeira-finished Welsh whisky from Penderyn.

Our Artisan Food Stocking Fillers are just perfect for food lovers!

Please order ahead for Christmas to secure a delivery slot.  All produce delivered from 13th December will be dated into the New Year.

Ordering in advance helps us to plan our production of all your favourites.  Traditional Oak Smoked Salmon, Oak Roasted Salmon & Honey & Mustard Glazed Christmas Hams (along with lots of our other delicious smoked goodies)to fill your festive table and make your festive entertaining a smooth and fuss-free experience.

We can send foodie gifts and hampers all over the United Kingdom, to delight your friends and family and provide easy, delicious meals and treats.

From our classic £60 Taste for Two Hamper, to our extremely generous Sugarloaf Luxury Christmas Wicker Hamper, there’s something to suit every budget and palate. We can send gourmet gifts directly to your recipients on the day of your choosing, with your message hand-written by us.

Please try to get your Christmas orders to us in mid-November. Our Christmas order book generally closes by about 12th December – however last year it was even earlier than that. So please order early to guarantee smokey satisfaction & avoid disappointment!

When you place your order please select a delivery date between 13th & 20th December and all produce will be dated into the New Year although there are a couple of exceptions (see below).

• Orders for Christmas Hams must be placed by 15th November as they are produced to order ONLY.  Our new pork supplier must receive our orders by mid-November to guarantee Christmas delivery.  Hams will, ideally, be delivered between 11th & 14th December or 18th & 19th latest and will be dated 3rd January.
• Gravadlax is also produced to order and needs to be pre-ordered by the end of November.  It can be delivered at the beginning of December and will freeze beautifully – it doesn’t enjoy being knocked around in a busy fridge.  Alternatively, we can despatch your Gravadlax for delivery on 19th or 20th December – and if it’s needed for New Year then pop it in the freezer.
• To order our fresh Smoked Fish Pate please choose w/c 18th December, these items will be dated just past Christmas and cannot be frozen.
• All of our smoked foods and cooked hams (except Gravadlax & Haddock both of these products will have 7-10 days) have a shelf life of at least 2-3 weeks in the fridge and they all freeze beautifully.

 

Please place your order online and select your delivery date on the calendar at the checkout or just give us a ring!

Order as early as you can, our delivery slots closest to Christmas get booked up very quickly.

If you would like to collect a Christmas order from our Smokery shop we will be open for collections until Friday 22nd/Saturday 23rd December (please call us if you require collection on 23rd).  The shop and office will have extended opening hours in the build-up to Christmas, including weekends so please check online for up-to-date times.

If you arrange to receive your Christmas order earlier in December it will freeze beautifully.  All our produce is freshly prepared and vacuum-packed.  Just remember to thaw it in good time and serve at room temperature for the best flavour.

Please visit our recipe pages for Smokey Jo’s serving suggestions and recipes and canapés to help you entertain during the festive period but most of all just have a fantastic Christmas!

As Christmas is fast approaching, be sure to get some of our festive food ideas down before all your friends and family arrive for the holidays!

 We’ve included links to each recipe and ingredient if it piques your interest, but don’t forget our festive food hampers that pack everything you need to create delicious nibbles for a party or gathering.

Start With Smoked Meat Canapés

Start your Christmas holiday feast in style with nibbles featuring delicious smoked meats as the centrepiece like these elegant Smoked Duck Canapés. The rich, smoky flavour of the award-winning smoked duck pairs perfectly with the tart sweetness of our Redcurrant and Port Jelly. These small bites are easy to assemble and look beautifully festive on a platter.

For all those fish-lovers out there, our Smoked Salmon, Lemon and Horseradish Cream Canapé recipe may be better suited to you. These canapés are light, elegant, and easy to prepare, making them ideal for adding a touch of sophistication to the Christmas kitchen rush. Simply combine some Llaeth Y Llan Natural Yogurt, Tracklements’ Horseradish Cream, and a touch of lemon zest in a bowl, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Arrange the Canapé Shells on a serving platter, spoon a dollop of the lemon and horseradish cream into each, and top with a slice of our traditionally smoked salmon. It’s that easy! And all you need is our tapas and Christmas meat hampers.

Dress Up Your Salad With Delicious Smoked Meat

For a refreshing kick to your festive feast, why not try out our Smoked Duck and Roasted Hazelnut Salad. The tangy orange combined with the hazelnut crunch creates the perfect blend of flavour and sweetness. With a drizzle of olive oil and squeeze of orange, this is sure to bring a delightful variety of fun tastes and textures to your meal!

If you’re looking for an impressive centrepiece for your festive feast this year, our Easy Honey Mustard Glazed Ham is sure to do the trick. For the perfect ham recipe: Make a Honey & Mustard Paste with brown sugar, honey and Tracklements’ Dijon Mustard and spread over the ham (featured in most of our Christmas meat hampers), dot with cloves and caramelise with a cook’s blow torch. Or try a Marmalade Glaze made from Seville Orange Marmalade, brown sugar, ground cloves and cider vinegar. This wonderful centrepiece is sure to last into the New Year, leaving plenty of delicious tasting leftovers!

Perhaps our Traditionalliy Oak Roasted Salmon is more to your taste. Whether you prefer it peppered or plain, it pairs perfectly with simple roasted potatoes, fresh dill sauce, and baby beetroot. This quick, ready-to-eat dish promises to deliver effortless satisfaction for everyone at the table.

To wrap up your festive feast in style, indulge in our Angiddy Cheese paired with Black Pepper and Sea Salt Crackers. The rich, creamy softness of warm Angiddy, reminiscent of the finest brie, combined with the subtle spice of the Black Pepper Crackers, is guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser! Kickstart your Christmas preparations with our festive food hampers which have all the necessities for a festive feast! Don’t forget to get those food orders in as soon as possible to secure your Christmas meat hamper delivery for some easy, delicious and tasty recipes for the holidays.

Dare we say the c-word… here at Black Mountains Smokery our Christmas preparations have begun. We encourage our customers to order their christmas meat hampers and gourmet food gifts as far in advance as is possible for Christmas, to ensure you receive all your required festive treats with the longest possible shelf life.

For those of you that are super-organised we’ve got a Special Smokey Early Bird Offer for Christmas 2024!

Sign up to our newsletter here  for the code and receive a free Smoked Chicken Breast with any order worth at least £60 placed before November 11th.

 

Our Online Christmas Shop is now open for your perusal and is filled to the brim with artisan smoked food. Browse our delicious stocking-fillers, Christmas gifts for men and favourite festive hampers. Gourmet smoked foods are the perfect gifts for all those who are impossible to buy for, because who doesn’t love good food!

Perhaps you’re looking for the perfect centrepiece for your Christmas Eve or Boxing Day table, from Traditional Smoked Salmon, and Christmas Ham to Smoked Chicken & Duck, we can help make your Christmas entertaining easy and delicious! Just add a squeeze of lemon, a loaf of sourdough bread, and a selection of delicious cheeses. Our wonderful Welsh Cheeseboard is sourced from carefully selected and like-minded artisan producers.

Or maybe you’re looking for a gourmet food gift for a friend or family member. Our Christmas Gift Hampers are filled with gourmet smoked foods and other artisan treats for those food lovers who like a taste of everything. Choose from our best-selling christmas meat hampers which include Traditional Smoked Salmon, Smoked Chicken & Duck, Smoked Cheese, and much more – they are our top sellers for a reason!

 

We’ve got lots of canapé recipes and Christmas party food ideas to help you with your Christmas planning this year. Delight your guests with delightful Smoked Duck & Redcurrant and Port Jelly Canapés, prep-able in seconds. Impress with fiery fried Welsh Dragon Sausage served with Sweet Chilli Jam, the perfect party nibble for your festive function.

Our drinks cellar offers a bountiful supply of Wine, Spirits, Craft Beer and Ale, as well as delicious Organic Apple Juice. All supplied by fabulous family producers and predominantly from Wales. Add a bottle of something special to complete your Christmas order.

Need ideas on what to serve? We’ve got lots of canapé recipes and Christmas party food ideas to help you with your Christmas planning this year. Just remember to put your food orders in as soon as possible to secure your preferred delivery date.

Aside from asking to spend quality time with their grandchildren, grandparents don’t usually ask for much. By the time they’ve got to ‘grandparenting’ age they tend to have acquired everything they need. Theres one thing that unites grandparents and grandchildren alike… and that is good food!

 

 

Whether it’s birthday’s, anniversaries or Christmas our Gourmet Smoked Food Hampers make the perfect gift for any occasion, including the ideal presents for your grandma and grandad. The artisan smoked food comes ready-to-eat making it the perfect base for effortless, nutritious meal. Simply add potatoes and salad!

We have a selection of hampers ranging from £50 to £425. Our Taste for Two (£60) contains all our best-selling products and is the perfect gift for food loving grandparents.

Our Sugarloaf Luxury Larder Wicker Hamper would be the perfect gift for a milestone birthday party or jolly Christmas party. It makes for effortless and delicious catering that all ages will enjoy. With a delicious honey glazed ham, whole salmon sides, smoked meats and cheeses and a selection of tasty nibbles and crackers, this hamper is quick and easy to serve and fit for feeding many. It’s an all around excellent choice for christmas gifts for grandparents.

” You supplied a ham for my 80th celebration last year. It was received do well, some guests returned for a third helping.”.  Margaret Hughes Jan 2024.

 

 

All our smoked goods freeze beautifully and don’t lose any of their gourmet quality when defrosted. A bulk buy would be a brilliant birthday or christmas gift for a grandparent who no longer feels confident popping to the shops so often. Simply stock up their freezer with Smoked Chicken, or Smoked Salmon, it’s the gift that keeps giving! Our smaller packs are the perfect grandparent-friendly size, they don’t need to wait for a guest to pop in to share with!

If your Granny or Grandad already regularly enjoy our artisan smoked food, why not treat them to a Gourmet Subscription? Pay for them to receive 4,6 or 12 parcels a year with free delivery.! Learn more about our variety of subscriptions here.

Whether you choose to gift tender Duck Breasts or delicate Trout Fillets, find a printable recipe to inspire your recipient here.

Photo by: Guild of Fine Food (Richard Faulks)

We are utterly thrilled to announce that we have been awarded The Golden Fork Award for Wales 2024 for our Smoked Duck Breast 🎉.
Our Smoked Duck Breast was awarded an acclaimed 3-star Great Taste Award earlier this year and went on to be nominated for a Golden Fork Award, which celebrates the best food and drink products from 115 countries 🌍. It has been nicknamed the “Oscars of the food world”!

The ceremony took place at Battersea Arts Centre on Tuesday 10th September. A gathering of 300 producers, retailers, journalists, chefs and industry professionals representing thousands of hard-working and talented producers and independent retailers across the world.
There were 16 Golden Forks awarded including two new categories; the Golden Fork for Sustainability and Golden Fork for Better Business.

We were the proud winners of “The Golden Fork from Wales.”, competing against the wonderful Chorizo from Moch Coch and Dà Mhìle Absinthe from Dà Mhìle Distillery in the final line up, whose delicious gourmet products were absolutely exceptional.

We had a wonderful night at the awards ceremony, recognising some familiar faces in the industry and a whole lot of brand-new ones too. It is so inspiring to talk to so many likeminded producers and enthusiasts who share our passion for truly artisan gourmet food and drink as we do.

Our Smoked Duck Breast was described, by the lovely Abby Allen of Pipers Farm, as a great example of traditional smoking:
The meat really shone. It had a subtle smokiness, and the cure was absolutely exceptional, creating this lovely velvet melt-in-the-mouth texture.”

We are so grateful to our production team for the artisanal they take in curing and smoking every premium duck breast. At Black Mountains Smokery we promise to ‘make good food even better’ and use the highest grade of products to ensure a truly gourmet dining experience.

Take a look a the other winners of the Golden Fork Awards here.
A final thank you to everyone have showed us such immense love and support surrounding the Golden Fork Awards.

A wonderful and very local celebration of fabulous produce, The Abergavenny Food Festival – 21st & 22nd September 2024- is an important and exciting time for artisan food producers.

This is a quick shoutout to some of our brilliant local food suppliers!

 

Cradoc’s Crackers

Starting with the wonderful Allie and her daughter Ella and their delicious and colourful range of Vegetable Cradoc’s crackers, baked by hand using only fresh raw ingredients, based locally in Brecon!

Blaenafon Cheddar Company

Cradoc’s Crackers can be paired with some of the most scrumptious Welsh cheese supplied to us by Blaenafon Cheddar. As Susan Fiander-Woodhouse, Head of Cheese at Blaenafon Cheddar says, “We want to use everything Welsh, but it’s got to be about what’s in my heart. It’s about the love of my homeland and wanting other people to come and enjoy it. I thought if I could entice them in with a smile, with the cheese, then they’d go and have a look elsewhere. By using ingredients from south, mid, and north Wales, we’ve created a flavour trail.” Based in Blaenavon this is a family-run business since 2006.

White Castle Vineyard

Next are the wonderful wines from White Castle Vineyard. Robb and Nicola Merchant purchased 5 acres of gently sloping, south-facing Monmouthshire pasture in 2008. May 2009 saw the planting of 4000 vines namely, Pinot Noir, Regent, Rondo, Seyval Blanc & Phoenix. May 2010 saw a further planting of 800 Siegerrebe vines. May 2019 marked their 10th Anniversary and to mark this milestone they have planted a further 2000 vines – why not order some from the wine cellar on our website. Found just outside of Abergavenny this vineyard is buzzing as they produce delicious bottles of wine as well as offering lovely tours of the vineyard.

Llangattock Apiaries

Next are the lovely Llangattock Apiaries, nestled in the Brecon Beacons on the edge of the river Usk, their wonderful bees gather pollen from wildflowers in the surrounding mountains. This Pure Welsh Honey is made from “wildflower nectar, fresh air, and the natural countryside.”

The Preservation Society

The Preservation Society is another key local business based in Chepstow. Set up by a farmer’s daughter Angharad, her passion for flavour has led to multi-award-winning chutneys, sirops and preserves. We are so sad they have chosen to hang up their aprons. Make sure to get your hands on their delicious preserves before they’re gone for good! Check out the products on our website here.

Black Mountain Roast

Black Mountain Roast is a small coffee company based in the foothills of the Black Mountains. Founders Simon and Mungo have been on a mission for fresh and delicious coffee, using cutting-edge technology and good old-fashioned skills, whilst they roast small batches in their very own barn. Have a look on our website for the coffee beans or ground coffee, and maybe a Welsh Cake or two to go with it.

Brecon Chocolates

Brecon Chocolates was set up by Charlotte Roskill a brilliant local business owner, who makes delicious artisan handmade chocolates for the whole of Breconshire, as well as supplying us with some of the most scrumptious chocolates, check them out on our website here.

Jones Trust Your Gut

Jones Trust Your Gut was founded by Anna Jones in 2020 just before Covid and has been on a mission to supply delicious and inspired foods that are good for gut health. Through using nature’s best ingredients, in a sustainable way, Anna has drawn upon her international experiences, whilst supporting British farms, all to produce gut-healthy foods. If you fancy trying anything check it out on our website, the Organic Smokey Cucumber Kimchi Slaw perhaps or the Organic Apple Cider Vinegar.

Trealy Farm Charcuterie

Trealy Farm Charcuterie based just outside of Abergavenny is one of our great suppliers of salami, air-dried meats and semi-dried cooking sausages. Through a combination of innovative traditional artisan methods and the finest quality of ingredients, they produce a wide range of products using only ethically sourced British meats.

The Welsh Cheese Company

The Welsh Cheese Company is yet another wonderful local supplier providing us with our delicious Pant Ys Gawn Goats cheese. Set up by Tom Pinder who after a lifelong love of cheese set up The Welsh Cheese company in 2017 and now using 15 of  Wales’ Finest Artisan Cheesemakers, they produce a wide variation of delicious cheeses.

Please come and find us in the Market Hall with other brilliant local producers. We are hugely lucky to have such a well-organised, authentic event on our doorstep that remains a genuine celebration of fine food and cooking.

Fun Family Foodie Ideas

Look no further for some fun family summer foodie ideas!

It’s August already and if you’re back from your summer holiday and need some inspiration for activities to do with your children/grandchildren/nephews/nieces to help keep the school break ticking along nicely then keep reading …

We’ve had a little brainstorm at BMS headquarters and come up with some summery Mediterranean ideas; all with a smokey twist of course ?

Everyone can get involved in pizza-making whether you’ve got messy toddlers or super creative teens. It’s a chance to flex your culinary skills and come up with a brand-new taste sensation to wow your friends and family.

Pizza dough can be made in advance from larder ingredients and either kept chilled in the fridge or even frozen and then quickly defrosted to use for a simple supper.

Here’s a tried and tested pizza dough recipe:
• 400g plain flour
• 1 x 7g yeast sachet
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp semolina, to roll out
• 225ml water

Instructions
• Combine the flour, yeast, salt and sugar together in a mixing bowl.
• Make a well in the dough. Add the oil and water to bring the dough together.
• Tip out onto a floured surface and kneed for 1 minute until smooth. Leave to rest whilst you prepare your toppings.
• To shape the pizza sprinkle some flour and semolina onto a piece of baking paper stretch and press the dough until its reached you desired shape.
• Add your toppings. Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden and crispy.

These are our favourite Black Mountains Smokery toppings suggestions:

Black Mountains Smokery Oak Roasted Salmon & Pant-Ys-Gawn Goats Cheese

Black Mountains Smokery Paprika Smoked Cheddar Cheese with tomato sauce

Black Mountains Smokery Smoked Chicken & Trealy Farm Chorizo with tomato sauce

Pasta made from scratch can often be seen as too much effort when you can easily buy good quality pasta in a packet however for a special occasion we think it’s worth the effort.

Kids will love helping to cut the big sheets into strips and making a few of their own customised shapes as well!

See below for our foolproof fresh pasta recipe:
• 256g all-purpose flour / “00” flour
• 3 x large eggs
• ½ tsp sea salt
• ½ tbsp olive oil

Instructions
• Place the flour on a clean work surface and make a nest. Add the eggs, olive oil and salt to the centre and begin to combine the mixture with a fork.
• Use your hand to bring the flour in and incorporate, work until the dough has come together to form a shaggy mixture.

Here are some of our favourite quick and easy recipes from our website for a delicious smokey sauce to accompany your fresh pasta:

Simple Creamy Smoked Salmon Pasta

Peppered Salmon and Pesto Pasta

Simple Creamy Smoked Chicken Pasta

Or why not come up with your own smokey pasta creation?!?

Have fun making some delicious food with your family and friends this summer, we hope our smokey ideas will make for some memorable and fun mealtimes.

We are thrilled to announce that our Smoked Duck Breast has won 3 shiny gold stars at The Great Taste Awards 2024. This will be our Smoked Duck’s 12th Great Taste Award in total!

 

 

Only 1.9% of entries won the prestigious 3-star award this year so we are feeling extremely proud.

Not only has our Smoked Duck won the three stars, but it has been nominated for a Golden Fork Award a.k.a the “Oscars of the food world”! We are very excited to attend the awards ceremony in London later this year and will be sure to update you on how we get on.

Here are some of the lovely words about our Smoked Duck Breast from The Great Taste Judges:

 

 

We also entered our Peppered Oak Roasted Salmon this year and we are delighted to announce that it has also won a Great Taste Award!

 

 

You’ll notice that not every product wins an award every year, this is because we only submit products for judging on a 3-year cycle or when their previous award is considered expired.

The lovely thing about entering The Great Taste Awards is that it proves the consistent quality of our Gourmet Smoked Foods. We are proud to be able to call ourselves Great Taste Producers. A title earned from the sheer volume of our Great Taste Awards over the years. Find out more about our previous awards here.

We want to say an especially large thank you to our production team. Without their dedication to quality and amazing skills, we wouldn’t have any of the wonderfully gratifying awards. Well done team!

With Toasted Greek-Style Flatbread

Serves 2 as a main

Ingredients

 1 red onion
2 large ripe tomatoes
1 cucumber
1 block of Greek feta
Black kalamata olives – pitted
1 Smoked Chicken Breast
2 tbsp Fino Spanish Olive Oil
A pinch of Halen Môn Sea Salt
A crack of black pepper
A sprinkle of oregano
Greek-style flatbreads (optional)
Tzatziki (optional)

Finely chop the red onion and set aside.

Chop the tomatoes, cucumber and feta into large chunks. Cut the kalamata pitted olives in half and set all aside.

Thinly slice the Smoked Chicken Breast.

Toast the Greek-style flatbread and cut into triangles.

Place all ingredients, excluding the flatbread, into a bowl and toss to mix. Drizzle with olive oil and season with sea salt, black pepper and oregano.

Serve with toasted flatbreads and tzatziki.

Enjoy!

Watch us make it here:

If you are looking for the perfect Christmas treat for those special teachers and

caregivers who have gone above and beyond this year.

If you’re looking for something different from the traditional (and dare we say – boring!) teacher’s mug or bottle of wine, then let us do the hard work for you. We’ve got a fabulous selection of gorgeous gifts including smoked salmon, local wine, smoked duck, hand-made chocolates and other smokey delights.

You could add a bottle of something special from our Drinks Cellar – we have lots of options here from delicious wines to locally produced gins and Welsh whisky.  If none of the hampers are quite right for you, a gift voucher might be more suitable and they can choose their selection – available from £25 – £200.

 

We’d love to help you make your gift the perfect teacher thank you of extra-special Welsh artisan produce so drop us a line on 01873 811 566 or place your order on our website.

What to buy the man who has everything?

Father’s Day is around the corner (June 16th).  As a family business, special days like Father’s Day are very close to our hearts.

Here’s Jonathan with the youngest of his four-legged children.

Father’s Day is the perfect opportunity to show Dad how much you appreciate all he does for you. How do you say that with a gift… especially for he who has everything he needs?
Well, here’s what we all know…

The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach”

We have delicious selections of gourmet gifts for any price range that we hope will impress.

 

Our brand-new Pâté and Crackers Giftset (above right) is a delicious gift, beautifully hand-wrapped with the care Dad deserves. The Cornish Charcuterie award-winning pâtés come in a range of flavours, so whether you are buying for a meat lover or veggie, it’s the perfect and affordable gift for every father!
Our Father’s Day Gift Hamper  is only £58 and contains a scrummy selection of our best-selling gourmet smoked meat, cheese and fish. Include a hand-written gift message for a more personal touch.

 

Create a bespoke custom hamper full of Dad’s favourite things… from Chilli Harissa to Penderyn Whiskey spoil him with all the best treats.

Or choose from our bountiful selection of artisan food hampers. Packed with ready-to-eat nibbles and simple suppers, pre-order your gift and let your Dad put his feet up and relax with some scrummy treats.
We can arrange for your Father’s Day gift to be delivered directly if you can’t be with Dad yourself or pop into our shop and choose a foodie gift if you’re lucky enough to be spending the day with him!

Dydd Tad Hapus!

 

Following our trip to the Food and Drink Expo this year we have some fabulous new products lining the shelves of our shop and website.

Just in time for this spring/summertime, we have Blighty Booch’s Kombucha in three delicious flavours; Nettle & Rosehip, Organic Ginger and Bramley Elderflower. The award-winning fermented tea is organic, vegan and deliciously refreshing for your summer sipping. The Bramley Elderflower is a beautifully elegant flavour, perfectly complimented by a few rays of Pure Welsh Sunshine.

If you prefer something summery but a little stronger, try our Adobe Reserva Organic Rosé, with delicate strawberry and red cherry aromas, or wonderful White Castle Vineyard’s Rose, made from local Welsh grapes. Try pairing these fabulous summer wines with delicious Smoked Chicken Canapés for the ultimate summer evening snack.

Under the ‘Don’t Miss Out’ category of our website, you will find  Our Best Sellers. Our delicious premium free-range Ham, a wonderful addition to a picnic, or as the centrepiece to a classic springtime ‘picky bits’ supper. Our ‘Don’t Miss Out’ category also includes all our seasonal favourites.

Also, in our ‘Spring Offers’, you’ll find our new Pâté and Crackers Gift Set. The perfect gift for dads who are impossible to buy on Father’s Day, or your next on-the-go snack. It’s everything you need for a ready-to-eat, delicious treat!

Sticking to the theme of pâté we are now offering multi-buy offers for all Cornish Charcuterie Pâtés and Rillettes! Cornish Charcuterie is an award-winning artisan producer of British charcuterie and cured meats; their artisan pâtés and rillettes are made from the finest ingredients on their farm in Cornwall. All the products are ambient so they can be stored outside of the refrigerator until opened – perfect for unannounced guests! Just spread them on a cracker or toasted sourdough for a delightfully easy gourmet lunch.

What a beautiful time of the year – asparagus season! Try new seasons asparagus with melted Smoked Butter, served with Smoked Salmon.

Our Smoked Butters are the perfect pairings for the abundance of delicious British asparagus at the moment.

Whether you blanche it, steam it, griddle it, roast it, or even pop it on the BBQ, drizzle with one of our scrummy melted butters and enjoy… sometimes it’s the simple things in life!

See some of our favourite recipes below:

Asparagus with Smoked Butter and Lemon 

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon Fino Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tablespoons Smoked Butter, melted
2 bunches new season Asparagus, trimmed
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Halen Môn Sea Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200°c

Mix the Olive Oil, melted Smoked Butter, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a bowl.

Arrange the asparagus in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Pour over the Smoked Butter and olive oil mixture and toss to ensure that all the asparagus stems are coated.

Bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned and tender.

Sprinkle over a large pinch on Halen Môn Sea Salt and cracked black pepper and serve garnished with curls of lemon peel for colour.

A Smoked Butter, olive oil, and lemon mixture is also delicious when poured over boiled new potatoes.

Try using Smoked Butter for cooking fish and prawns, mushrooms, or even just spread it on sourdough toast!

Another classic at this time of year that everyone will know and love is asparagus wrapped in parma ham, however, instead of using Parma ham why not try our mouth-watering Air-Dried Monmouthshire Ham! An interesting twist on a true classic.

Preheat the oven to 200 C / Gas 6. Wash and trim the bottom ends from the asparagus.

Boil the Asparagus for 3-4 minutes then drain and plunge into ice cold water.

Cut the slices of Air-dried Monmouthshire Ham into strips.

Wrap each asparagus spear with a piece of ham.

Place the wrapped spears into the tray, drizzle with olive oil & season with Halen Môn Sea Salt and pepper.

Bake in the oven for 5 – 10 minutes depending on the thickness of your asparagus.

And not forgetting, asparagus and Salmon go hand in hand. Whether it’s enjoyed as a light breakfast, – smoked salmon and blanched asparagus with a quick drizzle of olive oil and some salt & pepper. Or used for quick and easy lunches or suppers. Or try Oak Roasted Salmon portions with griddled asparagus and boiled new potatoes finished with a drizzle of melted Smoked Butter and maybe some leafy greens … delicious, nutritious food that’s good for the soul!

Exploring the World of Tapas and Picnics!

Here in the Black Mountains, the minute the sun shines, we are ready to pull out the garden furniture and picnic blankets and embrace the essence of Mediterranean living.  Nothing says summer quite like tapas and sharing platters enjoyed alfresco, so here are some suggestions on how to elevate picnic treats.

 

Our range of artisanal Charcuterie offers a symphony of flavour to enhance any tapas platter or picnic. Pair Air-dried Meats and Salami with vibrant Olives Et Al Marinated Olives, brimming with the essence of Mediterranean sunshine.  Make a delicious dipping sauce with Red Chilli Harissa or Black Olive Tapenade mixed with cream fraiche or Greek yoghurt and serve a pot of Tomato & Bean Houmous on the side.  Go a step further by including a delicious Welsh Cheese Board – Our Smoked Paprika Cheddar pairs particularly well with delicious Green Sicilian Olives.

 

 

Prefer something more smokey? Ready-to-eat and a customer favourite, our award-winning Smoked Chicken Breast is truly summery, sliced and served with Spiced Citrus Jelly and creamy Welsh Goat Cheese for a tasty ‘picky bit’.

And let’s not forget about Welsh tapas. Try making laverbread croquettes, infused with the salty tang of seaweed and coated in crispy breadcrumbs. Or perhaps a hearty Welsh rarebit made on freshly baked freshly baked Sourdough Bread toast with melted Smoked Cheddar and a Smoked Back Bacon topping?

Of course, no Welsh picnic is complete without a nod to tradition – Why not include slices of Cooked and Glazed Farmhouse Ham with Apple Cider Jelly or Chutney to your informal feast?

Our Smoked Fish Pâtés are a perfect picnic partner, they marry the luxury of oak smoking with the artistry seasoning. Perfect on a slice of Sourdough, loaded onto an artisan Cracker, or spooned into our crisp Pastry Cases.  For something more meaty, try these tasty Pâtés and Rillettes, handmade in Cornwall.

There is nothing nicer than sipping our local Welsh Cider and enjoying friends. Take a look at our Drinks Cellar for a bottle of something special to complement your outdoor feast.

Whether you’re gathering with loved ones for a leisurely luxury picnic or hosting a lively tapas night, at Black Mountains Smokery we have plenty of ideas to ensure that you’re the host with the most!

Please give us a ring if you need more help and advice.

 

 

Café culture is booming at the moment, and here at Black Mountains Smokery, we are loving it!  Is there anything better than sitting with a good book or friends, a steaming cup of coffee, and a delicious brunch in your local café?  We supply our premium, handmade, smoked goods to many local cafes all with their own unique recipes.

It is a joy to know that you can enjoy the finest quality produce in fabulous independent eateries.  They are taking no shortcuts!

Bean and Bread, a Kiwi-inspired, tranquil, plant-filled café is serving our Traditional Smoked Salmon with Toasted Sourdough, Beetroot, Dill & Caper Cream Cheese and Pickled Cucumber… Yum. If you’re local, head to 36 Lion St, Abergavenny NP7 5PE and taste it. Or try making it at home following their recipe!

Image provided by: Bean and Bread 

Closer to home, we have Latte Da, a family-run Crickhowell café. They serve our Traditional Smoked Salmon with delicious Eggs Royale on their Breakfast Menu, or with Scrambled Eggs on locally baked Sourdough Bread, on their Lunch and Breakfast Menus. After calling into our Smokery Shop, head up to Beaufort St, Crickhowell NP8 1AD and enjoy!

Image provided by: Latte Da

For those of you close to Cardiff, have you visited Canna Deli? Located at 2 Pontcanna Mews, 200 Kings Rd, Pontcanna, Cardiff CF11 9DF,  this gorgeous Welsh Deli has Classic Cold Smoked Salmon & Scrambled Eggs on Crusty Sourdough (below right) as well as Oak Roasted Salmon on their menu. Their ‘Rye Me Up’ brunch (below left) serves the Oak Roasted Hot Smoked Salmon flaked on a bed of avocado with a soft-boiled egg on rye bread toast … YES PLEASE!

Images provided by: Canna Deli, copyright owned by Studio Loop

Also in Cardiff is Milk and Sugar, a small group of beautiful independent cafes. They can be found at 79 Pontcanna St, Pontcanna, Cardiff CF11 9HS and Eastern Business Park, St. Mellons, Cardiff CF3 5EA. Check out their delicious gourmet menu featuring our award-winning Smoked Salmon with Avocado and Scrambled Eggs on Sourdough.

Images provided by: Milk and Sugar

Arabella’s Artisan Eatery, 35 High St, Brecon LD3 7AN, is just a quick drive up the road from the Black Mountains. It is a private catering company and a stunning eatery selling everything from boujee brunches to heart Sunday Roasts! Check out their beautifully silky Eggs Benedict, served with our Smoked Salmon.

Image provided by: Arabella’s Artisan Eatery

Just down the road is Tower Café, a charming family café within St Mary’s Church. The beauty of their location is mirrored in a deliciously tasty menu. They serve our Smoked Chicken in a panini or on a bagel with rocket and mayo, and our Smoked Salmon with rocket and cream cheese. They sell a range of local produce from around the Brecon Beacons. Find them at Church Lane, Brecon LD3 7AS.

The Granary in Hay-on-Wye is a family-run establishment that provides a warm relaxed atmosphere in the heart of Hay. They have created delicious, unique, recipes that are curated to elevate the flavours of our award-winning smoked fish and meat. Try out their delicious Smoked Fish Platter including; Smoked Salmon and Trout with Smoked Mackerel Pâté , Organic Rye Bread Toast and a fresh salad with a Piquant Lemon and Parsley dressing. If you’d prefer something more refreshing check out their Smoked Duck and Roasted Hazelnuts gin-dressed salad with Wild Wimberry and Knapp.

Image provided by: The Granary

 

Try out some of our recommendations and tag us on Instagram and Facebook letting us know what you think!

Happy Brunching x

This recipe is from our friends at Bean and Bread, based locally in Abergavenny

Ingredients

Smoked Salmon
Sourdough loaf

Beetroot cream cheese – 
 200g full-fat cream cheese
75g of cooked purple beetroot
25g of brined capers
30g or a small bunch of dill
 Juice of half a lemon

Pickled cucumber – 
1 whole cucumber sliced to a thickness of a one-pound coin
1 litre of white wine vinegar
300 grams of sugar
1 Tsp salt
1 Tsp of coriander seeds
1 Tsp of fennel seeds
1 star anise

Beetroot cream cheese
In a food processor combine the cream cheese, beetroot, capers, dill and lemon juice. Blitz until smooth.

Pickled cucumber
Combine vinegar, sugar, salt, coriander seeds, fennel seeds and star anise.
Add to a saucepan, bring to a boil, turn off and leave to cool and for aromas to infuse
When cooled add sliced cucumber to Kilner jar and pour pickle liquor over it.
Allow to Pickle for at least 3 hours or ideally overnight.

To serve
Generously spread the beetroot cream cheese over a slice of toasted Sourdough, lay a few slices of the Black Mountain Smokery Smoked Salmon on top.
Cut the pickled cucumber into thin strips and lay over the Smoked Salmon.

Finish with a fresh wedge of lemon & enjoy!

Inspired by The Granary Restaurant, Hay-on-Wye

Serves 4

Ingredients

200g Smoked Duck Breast, thinly sliced
3 tbsp Redcurrant and Port Jelly
1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
3 tbsp Fino Olive Oil
Damson Negroni (optional)
Seasonal Salad Leaves
¼ White Cabbage
4 tbsp Hazelnuts, roasted
4 tbsp Pine nuts, roasted
Beansprouts
1 Orange, cut into 8 wedges
Halen Môn Sea Salt and black pepper

Melt Redcurrant & Port Jelly with Balsamic vinegar, Olive Oil and a splash of water (or optional Damson Negroni) in a pan over low heat, season with salt and black pepper and allow to cool.

Spoon the dressing onto individual plates or a sharing platter.

Pile on seasonal salad leaves and shredded cabbage and arrange the thinly sliced Duck Breast on top.

Sprinkle over the roasted nuts and beansprouts.

Drizzle with Olive Oil and a squeeze of orange and garnish with remaining orange segments.

Serve and enjoy!

This seasonal Smoked Sausage Recipe with our own Welsh Dragon (Pork, Leek & Chilli) Sausages, Broad Beans and Bacon with early potatoes is a fabulous fresh but robust springtime dish- perfect in any weather!

Serves 4

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

200g Smoked Welsh Dragon Sausage – sliced on the diagonal
12 – 20 New Potatoes
1 tbl Fresh Mint – chopped
250g Broad Beans – Fresh or Frozen
250g Smoked Back Bacon or Smoked Streaky Bacon – sliced
Fino Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Spring Onions – sliced
1 tbl Flat Leaf Parsley – chopped
Lemon Juice
Dried Chilli Flakes
Pinch of Halen Môn Sea Salt

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

1 Smoked Chicken Breast – thinly sliced
Soft Welsh Goat’s Cheese
2 slices Sourdough
6 ripe cherry tomatoes – cut into quarters
1 spring onion – very thinly sliced
25mls Fino Olive Oil
Freshly ground Halen Môn Sea Salt and Black Pepper
Dried oregano
Rocket and watercress leaves

Cut the bread on the diagonal about ½ inch (1cm) thick. Toast on a griddle and put aside.

Put tomatoes and onions into a small bowl, add the Fino Olive Oil, sea salt, pepper and oregano and stir well to ensure all are coated with the oil.

Add the sliced Smoked Chicken Breast to the tomatoes mixture, stir well and set aside to marinade for at least 30 minutes.

To assemble, use a spoon to get the liquid from the bottom of the bowl and drizzle over the toasted Sourdough.

Spread the toast generously with the Welsh Goat’s Cheese.

Pile the tomato, Smoked Chicken and spring onion mix on top of it and serve with a small salad of rocket or watercress.

Enjoy!

Every Donation Quadrupled For The Next 2 Weeks!

“Stump up for Trees,” is an amazingly ambitious community-based charity, focused on woodland creation & enhancing biodiversity in the Brecon Beacons and Southeast Wales.

We have been collaborating with Stump Up since 2020 to offset the carbon footprint of mail-order deliveries. We match-fund every £2 donation made online. If you donate between April 18th-22nd then Big Give’s Green Match Fund will double it again, turning your £2 donation into £8, that’s 2 whole trees, planted and maintained for 12 years because of you!

In total, we have planted 700 native hedgerow species at our family home with help from family, friends and neighbours, putting the hand-nurtured saplings from the Stump Up nursery to good use in new and improved hedgerows.

Here’s a quick Tree Species Breakdown:

Hawthorn
Hazel
Crab Apple
Dog Rose
Guelder Rose
Oak (common)
Dogwood
Rowan
Alder
Blackthorn
Field Maple
Hornbeam
Sessile Oak
Spindle
Wild Cherry
Holly

Planting new hedgerows has beneficial impacts on biodiversity, carbon capture, flood mitigation and water management, as well as making our garden look beautiful. We expect to see lots of bees and butterflies this summer as our species selection will support a range of pollinators.

You can read more about the charity and our previous funds raised on our Stump Up For Tree’s Recap Of The Year page
Get involved! Add a £2 donation to your next order by adding a Stump Up For Trees Voucher.

 

World Health Day Recipe Ideas.

At Black Mountains Smokery, we recognise the importance of getting out into the fresh air and smelling the daffodils! As the Spring rolls in and the weather grows warmer, here in the Black Mountains, we’re surrounded by leaping lambs and blankets of bluebells. We are loving long scenic walks with the dogs and returning home to some easy-to-prepare, nutritious meals. Here are some of our healthy recipe ideas:

Add balancing freshness to your left-over Easter chocolate binge with any of our scrumptious Salad Recipes. Smoked Rainbow Trout is ready to eat and has a Great Taste Award! Check out our Smoked Trout and Apple Salad. The trout’s wood-smoked richness pairs beautifully with the refreshing crunch of the apples, giving you a fulfilling and nutritious tasty meal.

If you’d prefer something warmer and more wholesome, we have a delectable Oak Roasted Salmon Fishcake Recipe. Don’t forget fish is full of healthy, mood-boosting omega oils and vitamins, the American Heart Association recommends eating fish at least twice a week!

It’s the perfect time to try our Smoked Mackerel Couscous Salad Recipe! Try swapping the oranges for blood oranges, which have just come into season, for a refreshing kick.

Remember healthy food can always be fulfilling and delicious.

We source our fresh salmon with enormous care from one company. Quality, sustainability and welfare go hand in hand.
Bakkafrost Scotland is the leading producer of the finest quality Scottish salmon, raised exclusively on the West Coast of Scotland and the Hebridean Islands. They are the most vertically integrated salmon farming company in the world, which gives full control and responsibility over all aspects of production. With no use of antibiotics, or artificial additives (non-GMO), Bakkafrost salmon is as healthy as salmon can be.

The proof is in the eating.

The delicious taste of our multi-award-winning smoked salmon depends upon both skilled curing and smoking, and the excellent quality of the fresh fish. You can never improve poor produce by smoking it!  The firm flesh and non-oily texture of our smoked salmon is testament to the strong currents that the salmon has been reared in. The perky coral colour of the fish is the result of natural marine pigments in their Havsbrún feed (read more below).  We do not add any dyes, preservatives, additives or sugar.

THE BAKKAFROST QUALITY GUARANTEE

“The quality of our Scottish Salmon is dependent on the natural environmental conditions in which they are reared, our commitment is to the highest health and welfare standards, alongside our sustainably sourced top-quality feed.
• We benefit from excellent pristine conditions for farming high-quality salmon – The lochs in these remote areas provide the ideal conditions for rearing Scottish salmon, thanks to cool steady sea temperatures and strong currents.
• We do not use antibiotics and minimise the use of medicine to treat our salmon.

• We have one of the highest levels of omega-3 in our salmon
• Our own high-quality Havsbrún feed uses only non-GM plant proteins and oils, Pro-Terra certified soybeans, and sustainable certified rapeseed oil and marine ingredients:

Rich in Omega-3
100% natural pigment
Free from GMOs
Free from steroids
Free from hormones
BAP certified as well as ISO9001:2015, GMP+ B1, Global G.A.P, IFFO RS and MSC

We have the longest fully integrated value chain in the industry, giving us full traceability and supply chain integrity; from freshwater and marine farming through to processing and sales”

For more information on Bakkafrost’s salmon farming click here.

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Serves 4 – Our Salmon and Potato Bake Recipe is a great hearty meal for lunch or dinner

Ingredients

4 Oak Roasted Salmon fillets, about 700g, cut into bite-size chunks
600g Waxy potatoes, such as Desirée
350g Young Leaf spinach
Finely Grated zest of 1 lemon
60g Welsh Dragon Butter
50g Flour
15g Fresh dill, chopped 
Halen Môn Sea Salt & Pepper
500ml Semi-skimmed milk
Spring onion
Peas or side salad

Cook the unpeeled potatoes in a pan of boiling water for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, put the spinach in a colander. Pour over boiling water to wilt the spinach, then refresh in cold water. Drain and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Set aside in a large bowl, along with the Oak Roasted Salmon, and lemon zest.

Melt 50g butter in a pan over a medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute, then gradually whisk in the milk. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until thickened. Season with Halen Môn Sea Salt and pepper, stir in the dill and cool slightly. Pour over the salmon mixture and gently mix. Tip into a deep 2.3-litre baking dish.

Remove and discard the potato peel and slice thinly. Overlap in a single layer on top of the Oak Roasted Salmon.

Melt the remaining butter and brush over the potatoes. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. Bake for 50 minutes, or until hot throughout.

Serve with peas or a side salad and enjoy!

On Sourdough with Avocado and Smoked Chicken

Ingredients

180g Halloumi
3 tbsp Welsh Honey
1 Lemon- zested and juiced
1 tsp Chilli Flakes
1 tsp fresh Thyme Leaves
pinch of Halen Môn Sea Salt
1 tbsp Fino Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Avocado – sliced
Black pepper
Salad leaves or Sourdough bread
Smoked Chicken (optional)

Slice the halloumi into 3cm thick strips.

Place all remaining ingredients, excluding the olive oil, into a bowl and mix well until you have a runny consistency. If your marinade needs to thicken up add a little more honey or if it’s too runny add a little extra lemon juice.

Place the halloumi into a small baking tray or deep dish pan and spoon the marinade all over. Cover and leave to marinate for a minimum of two hours or ideally overnight.

In a frying pan on a medium heat, bring your olive oil to heat. Add several pieces of the halloumi to the pan and fry for 2 – 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Make sure you don’t overcrowd the pan and work in batches. Repeat this step until you have cooked all of the halloumi.

Drizzle the cooked halloumi with the remaining marinade.

If you are adding Smoked Chicken Breast slice it now.

Load up your Sourdough toast with slices of Avocado & Halloumi & Smoked Chicken, or if you prefer, serve on a bed of dressed rocket leaves.

Season with salt and pepper & enjoy!

Seasonal Easter Recipe Ideas.

Our Easter recipe ideas using our award-winning smoked foods are perfect for family brunches, lunches and festive parties.

Coming into the spring season, as the weather grows warmer and Easter is fast approaching, it’s the perfect time to host; whether it’s a family Easter meal or a party, our recipe pages provide fresh artisan serving suggestions designed to impress your guests.

If you’re entertaining family for a festive get-together, why not try our Oak Roasted Salmon? It makes the perfect centrepiece for a meal, it’s ready to eat and pairs beautifully with new potatoes drizzled with Smoked Seaweed Butter and panfried asparagus, or try making a hearty Oak Roasted Salmon Quiche or Frittata
Check out our new Charcuterie Platters or Tapas Luxury Feast Hamper for informal, impressive catering, which offers a selection of gourmet cured meats, cheeses, and accompaniments.
Try your hand at creating our Smoked Duck Canapes for delicious party nibbles, or visit our canapes and nibbles page for further inspiration.

If a delicious breakfast or brunch is more your thing try our Eggs Royale with Spinach for a deceptively easy early morning pick me up, or conjure up Gordon Ramsay’s Scrambled Eggs and Smoked Salmon Croissant.

Whatever your taste, we hope you enjoy a delicious Easter with your loved ones.

Happy Holidays, Gwyliau Hapus.

For someone who has never had a baby, the question of what to give new parents is a hard one. Isn’t everyone buying them flowers? How many baby clothes do they need?

The first month after having a baby is a joyous yet challenging time, with sleepless nights, nappies to change and endless visitors popping around unannounced. New parents often find themselves with little time and energy to prepare meals. We can help you find the perfect gift for the exhausted and elated new parent in your life.

 

Send a gourmet hamper! Our produce comes ready to eat and packed with nutrition. Perfect for quick meals or to feed those unannounced guests.  Containing nothing pointless, they make the perfect gift for new parents.
Our Smoked Food Gift Box Hamper (£82.75) (above) has a scrumptious selection of our Great Taste Award Winning smoked meat, fish & cheese, which can all be frozen to eat later.

 

Our Little Cheese Feast (£50) (above) is the perfect gift for a mother who has spent the past 9 months dreaming of cheese. With spicy Smoked Cheddar with Paprika, creamy Goat’s Cheese, rich Angiddy, and a selection of perfect accompaniments, it’s sure to fulfil that long-time craving!

 

The Taste for Two Gift Hamper (£58.75) (above) is our best-seller. Containing chicken, duck, hot and cold smoked salmon, the basis for many delicious gourmet meals, ready in minutes. It’s the perfect size for new parents to share …  and why not add a bottle of something special to celebrate?

 

We have a selection of pescatarian hampers, including the Little Salmon Feast Gift Hamper (£58.75) (above). Containing hot and cold smoked salmon it is dense with proteins, omega-3 fatty acids, and other nutrients that support postpartum health.

Ingredients

350g Smoked Haddock – cubed
400g Oak Roasted Salmon – flaked
75g Welsh Dragon Butter, plus extra for greasing
1 Leek – cut into thick slices
50g Plain flour
600ml Milk
1 ½ tbsp dill leaves – chopped
Zest of half lemon – finely grated
Salt and pepper
200g Fresh spinach
800g New Potatoes
2 tbsp Fino Olive Oil

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Grease the baking dish with butter.

To make the topping: place the potatoes in a large pan of cold, salted water and bring to boil. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until tender, drain well. Return the potatoes to the pan. Using a fork, break the potatoes down into rough, chunky pieces. Stir in the olive oil and some salt and pepper.

Melt 50g of butter in a pan over a medium heat. Add the leek and fry until softened but not browned. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for one to two minutes. Remove from the heat and gradually stir in the milk.

Return to a medium heat and continue stirring until boiling, thickened, and smooth. Add the dill, lemon rind and season with salt and pepper.

Finally, add the Smoked Haddock to the sauce and cook gently over a low heat for two minutes. Pour the mixture into the baking dish.

Melt the remaining butter in a deep-sided frying pan over a medium heat. Add the spinach and cook, stirring until it wilts, drain and allow to cool, then roughly chop.

Add the flaked Oak Roasted Salmon to the milk and Smoked Haddock mixture. Then scatter the spinach on top of the fish mixture and spoon the potatoes over the top.

Drizzle over the remaining 2 tsps of olive oil and bake for 30–40 minutes or until the pie is bubbling at the edges and the topping is golden and crispy.

Serve with your favorite seasonal vegetables and enjoy!

Serves 4 – A deceptively easy Sunday brunch recipe

Ingredients

100g (4 slices) Traditional Smoked Salmon
4 fresh eggs, poached
2 English muffins, sliced in half
200g baby spinach
Welsh Dragon Butter

For the hollandaise sauce –
2 egg yolks
1 tsp white wine vinegar, plus extra for poaching the eggs
100g unsalted butter, melted
Halen Môn Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the hollandaise sauce, use a whisk to whisk the yolks and vinegar together in a medium bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Gradually pour in the melted butter in a thin stream, whisking continuously, until the sauce has thickened and become glossy. Season with salt and pepper, then remove from the heat.

Add a drop of vinegar to the saucepan and bring to a simmer. It should be filled with at least 5cm of water and should not bubble too vigorously. Crack one egg into a ramekin or saucer. Stir the water to create a gentle whirlpool and slowly tip the egg into the centre. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the white is set. Lift the egg out with a slotted spoon and drain it on kitchen paper, tidying any uneven edges.

Melt a knob of butter in a frying pan and briefly fry the spinach until wilted, then season with salt and pepper.

Toast and butter the muffins and arrange on four plates. Spoon some spinach on top of each muffin half, lay over two slices of Traditional Smoked Salmon and top with an egg and a spoonful of hollandaise sauce.

Serve while hot and enjoy!

We have a brand new Easter 2024 Early Bird Offer now live!

A free Cooked & Glazed Sliced Ham 200g with every order over £50.

Sign up to our newsletter here for the code.

Simply enter the voucher code at the checkout for the free product to be included with your order.

The offer is valid on orders placed in the next week for your preferred Easter delivery date in March.

Check out our Smoked Ham and Bacon Recipes for inspiration on how to enjoy your tasty treat!

Enjoy x

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

900g Smoked Haddock or 340g Smoked Chicken – sliced or cubed
400g Smoked Pwll Mawr Cheddar – grated
4 medium leeks – sliced
1 large onion – finely sliced
3 large potatoes – grated or cubed
1.5l Chicken Stock
4 tbl Worcester Sauce
4 tbl English Mustard
chopped fresh chives & double cream (optional)
2.3l milk and 2.3l water

With your help, we have supported  “Stump Up For Trees” for a year, funding the planting of 600+ trees and their maintenance for 12 years!

Adding £2 to your order to plant a tree will offset the carbon footprint of your parcel

 It costs, on average, £4 to plant and maintain one tree for 12 years in this area (£6 with fencing). BMS match funds each £2 contribution made by you, to tend a tree to a self-sustaining age & stage.

Add £2 to your order here.

“Stump up for Trees,” is an amazingly ambitious community-based charity, focused on woodland creation & enhancing biodiversity in the Brecon Beacons and South East Wales. The ambition is to plant a million trees in the area over the coming years using innovative public-private funding initiatives. Their hardy crew, along with an ever-expanding team of volunteers, have planted at sites across the Brecon Beacons including the Olchon Valley and the Rhiangoll Valley. The total number of trees planted so far is an incredible 250,000 and they plan to put another 30,000+ trees in the ground before the end of this winter’s planting season. Watch this video to find out about more them here.

 

Click here to read about the Pilot Plant project on Bry Arw of the first 100,000 trees on a low hillside very close to where we live…. and just to quantify the amazing job Stump Up are doing, take a look at the lengths they go to spread awareness! This jaw-dropping billboard was mown using a hand-pushed cutting machine by one man (our neighbour)!

We are very happy to be supporting such an amazing cause, but we know we can do a lot more – there’s a long way to go to the 1 million tree ambition!

Please STUMP UP FOR TREES!

So far, with your help, we have raised funds to plant more than 600 trees – please let’s try to double this in 2025? 

As a family, we are committed to planting a thousand trees as a measure to offset unavoidable food miles, plastic and energy use at BMS.  Our plan is to plant up the top ends of our 3 small fields with mixed hardwoods including plenty of Chestnut, which can be managed by coppicing in the future.  Also, to replenish our wonderful ancient hedgerows creating wider, thicker and more effective wildlife corridors.

Find out more…

Keith Powell & his family, who have pioneered this project, featured in Ben Fogle’s “New Lives in the Wild.” In his programme you will witness the passion that lies behind this fabulous charity based in the beautiful Black Mountains.  https://www.my5.tv/ben-fogle-new-lives-in-the-wild/season-15/episode-2

https://www.itv.com/walesprogrammes/articles/coast-and-country-series-9-episode-1 

Countryfile Podcast
https://www.countryfile.com/podcast/brecon-beacons-rewilding/  

Filming with Kate Humble
https://www.my5.tv/escape-to-the-farm-with-kate-humble/season-2/episode-6 

https://www.herefordtimes.com/news/18700715.mysterious-hillside-words-starting-take-shape/

One of our customers sent in this fab picture of their adapted version of Julius Roberts’ Smoked Sausage and White Bean Stew using our Smoked Sausages and served with couscous.

It really is rather delicious, why not add it to your menu this winter?

Serves 4

Ingredients

8 Welsh Dragon Sausages (400g)
3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
2 celery sticks, finely sliced
2 red onions, finely sliced
3 tbsp Fino Olive Oil
pinch of chilli flakes/spring of rosemary/2 bay leaves/1 cinnamon stick
Small glass of beer or white wine
2 plum tomatoes
2 x 400g can of white beans, drained and rinsed
750ml chicken stock
250g swiss chard or cavolo nero
Bulgar wheat or rice

Slice the skin of the Smoked Welsh Dragon Sausages, remove the meat and roll into small meatball size portions.

Fry in olive oil for a few minutes, then reduce the heat and add the garlic, chilli, rosemary, bay & cinnamon.

Deglaze the pan with the beer or wine and crush in the tomatoes, the celery and onion and cook until nicely caramelised.

Add the beans and the stock and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Separate the leaves from the stalks and fry the stalks from the Swiss chard or cavolo nero for a few minutes then add the leaves, turn off the heat and cover.

Serve with couscous or bulgar wheat.

How to recycle your packaging!

We deliver your parcels using foil liners inside recycled cardboard boxes as they are the most effective way to keep your food cool in transit, as well as being space efficient in our warehouse.

We used to send a return bag with every order so that each foil liner could be sent back for re-use.  However, this is not carbon efficient, given the extra plastic and transit involved. We therefore suggest that our customers reuse the liners wherever possible – or return them more than one at a time.

We receive some great emails with brilliant ideas for putting the liners to good use.  We thought it was high time that we shared their suggestions and asked you for more!  So here goes:

Insulate a henhouse

Keep in the car for shopping

Use as a cool bag for picnics

Use as a garden grow bag

Use in a garden propagator to keep seedlings cosy in early spring

Create a windscreen reflector to keep your car cool in summer

Repurpose as a knight’s costume

Place behind radiators against outside walls to reflect back heat

 

 

We’ve been working steadily over the last decade to improve the sustainability of our packaging, as well as making other environmentally conscious improvements to our business.

Regarding the packaging we use to send our delicious smoked produce out to customers; our boxes, sleeves and shred are recyclable and made from recycled card and we always use the smallest box we can to transport your order safely.

To keep our produce cold in transit during the warmer months, we add in 1 or 2 reusable gel ice packs. The ice packs take up minimal space and have twice the cooling capacity of ice – just pop them in your freezer and use in your cool box for shopping or picnics – or even for soothing a bump! If you don’t have space in your freezer simply cut the ice pack open, pour the non-toxic solution down the drain, rinse the plastic outer and place in recycling.

We wrap glass bottles and jars in a fantastic stretchy paper wrap that looks like honeycomb! It does a great job of making sure items don’t knock against each other and again, it can either be recycled or reused.  If we use bubble wrap it is to re-use what we have received rather than waste it. We hope you will do the same.

Vacuum packs are not yet recyclable but we are working closely with our supplier to this end. However, the boards within the vacuum packs can be recycled.

We reuse cardboard boxes that have come into us from suppliers for trade orders and our weekly delivery round to local businesses or we reuse a carrier bags, which are given back to us for further reuse.

We encourage customers to offset the carbon footprint of parcel deliveries by supporting a wonderful local initiative called “Stump Up for Trees,” their mission to plant a million trees in our beautiful Black Mountains and Brecon Beacons.

How do you reuse your packaging?

How do you reuse your packaging?

Our Smoked Duck is a versatile ingredient, and is rich enough in flavour to work well with the mushrooms in this fab recipe.

 A delicious warm and cosy recipe that kept us going last week!

Ingredients

1 Smoked Duck Breast – chopped
500ml vegetable stock or bouillon powder
125g mushrooms – sliced
2 leeks – sliced
2 celery sticks – sliced
1 large carrot – cubed
250g arborio (risotto) rice
½ glass white wine
parsley leaves – chopped
Fino Olive Oil
Halen Môn Sea Salt
Gherkins and capers (optional)

If you’re making your own stock, simmer 750ml of water with carrots, celery, parsley, thyme, onion, bay leaves, black peppercorns & coriander seeds.

Soften the leeks, celery & carrots in Fino olive oil, sprinkle with salt and cover over a low heat.

Add in the mushrooms and cook gently for 5 minutes.

Then stir in the rice until it’s translucent and has soaked up the olive oil and juices.

Add the white wine and simmer over a gentle heat until absorbed.

Add in half the stock gradually, then add the remainder and bring to the boil. Turn right down to a low simmer and cover for 10 minutes.

Add the sliced Smoked Duck and more liquid if necessary and then return to a low simmer.

Leave for another 10 minutes until the Smoked Duck is hot.

Garnish with parsley and finish with olive oil. Serve in warm bowls, with an optional chopped gherkin & caper garnish.

So happy to read this lovely article in the National Geographic Travel supplement last month!

 

The smokery was set up in 1996 by Jo and Jonathan Carthew, who, after 10 years of living in Botswana, decided to fulfil their dream of moving to rural Wales, where Jo had spent many happy childhood holidays.

“Our beautiful, lean salmon are smoked over Welsh oak,” explains Jo, as we peek at glossy fillets arrayed in a traditional kiln, adding, “We use shavings from a local cabinet maker.” Besides salmon, the duo also smoke duck, chicken, trout, haddock and sea bass, as well as pork-leek-chilli Welsh dragon sausages from the butcher in Crickhowell.

Having skipped breakfast, I’m ready for a tasting of the cold-smoked salmon, which is sweet, oaky and melts in the mouth. Treacly and succulent, the hot-smoked salmon is even better — I could eat it forever. On my way out, I’m side-tracked by the deli shop, where I briefly eye up smoked fish pâtés, local cheeses, honeys and charcuterie…

 

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/paid-content-eat-bannau-brycheiniog-wales

A great way for one Smoked Duck Breast to serve four hungry people!  Tasty, light and warming to banish the freezing temperatures.  Adjust the chilli according to your taste.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 Smoked Duck Breast – thinly sliced
Cotswold Gold Rapeseed Oil
200ml stock – meat or vegetable stock simmered with star anise, ½ tsp Chinese Five Spice, black pepper, sliced ginger, coriander stalks & lime zest
tbsp Sorai Sauce – Tribal Paste/Onion Balsamic/Ginger Garlic or Tomarind
1 tsp Chinese Five Spice
1 lime – zested and juiced
small onion – sliced
half head of broccoli – florets
2 carrots – julienned
1 red pepper – julienned
4 mushrooms – sliced
3 nests of egg noodles – cooked
small bunch of coriander – chopped leaves
dark soy sauce
Halen Môn Sea Salt and black pepper

Heat the Cotswold Gold Rapeseed Oil in a wok over medium heat and add the grated garlic, ginger, Chinese Five Spice, Sorai Sauce & lime zest to infuse the seasonings into the oil.

Stir fry the onion, broccoli, carrots, peppers and mushrooms until al dente.

Add the sliced Smoked Duck Breast and stir fry until hot.

Add in the cooked egg noodles and combine.

Garnish with the coriander leaves and finish with dark soy sauce, lime juice, salt & pepper to taste.

Then finally pour over the hot stock and serve on warmed plates.

Our Smoked Haddock and Cockle recipe is perfect for a warming Lunch or Supper this winter

Serves 4-6

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

500g Smoked Haddock – skinned and chopped
100g Smoked Streaky Bacon – derinded and chopped
1 small onion – chopped
1 clove garlic – chopped
Cotswold Gold Rapeseed Oil
300g potatoes—peeled and cubed
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tin of sweetcorn
2 120g tins of Cockles
500ml milk
500ml double cream
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper – to taste
2 tablespoons fresh parsley – chopped

Gently fry the Smoked Streaky Bacon, onion & garlic together in a heavy bottom saucepan with a small amount of Rapeseed Oil until softened.

Add the Cockles and sweetcorn (juice & all), potatoes, bay leaf and lemon zest with salt and pepper.

Pour in the cream and milk & simmer for about half an hour until the potatoes are tender and the soup is rich and creamy. 

Lightly crush the potatoes to thicken the consistency.

Add the Smoked Haddock and simmer for five minutes until the fish is opaque.

Stir in the parsley and serve immediately with fresh, crusty bread.

You could substitute the Smoked Haddock for flaked Oak Salmon Roasted Salmon or chopped Smoked Salmon Trims.

Year round we have, essentially, a small but fantastic team. Corinne our fabulous and resilient Production Manager heads up her team with Alex and now Ben. Last year, Will moved from production to run the warehouse with Jonathan. Anna is the mainstay in our office with Jo.

And then for Christmas everything changes!
Hugh, our son, ran our Christmas warehouse this year. You may have noticed, however, that he couldn’t resist getting out and about to fairs and events! He has been an integral part of BMS; ace salmon slicer and our all-important Mr. Fix-It whenever we have needed him. He will be sorely missed when he moves to pastures green in January 2024.

Rhys was our gap-year student for Christmas 2023, he’s a keen mountain biker and rugby enthusiast and completed a bike maintenance course after his exams so we made sure he shared all his tips with us!  He was with us in the warehouse for the silly season en-route to beginning a French degree.
We were thrilled to welcome Rebekah to our BMS office team with all her energy and zest for life and sport – she’s represented Wales in both tennis and rugby. She’s recently returned from walking in the Himalayas and will be starting her graduate physiotherapy training next year. She was very much part of BMS Autumn roadshow with Hugh and Jo.
Jonathon, a local friend of Rhys, also joined us in his gap year, for the month of December after working at a gastro pub. He was a great asset to the packing team, conscientious and always with a smile, and we hope he will return next year when he heads to Swansea Uni.
Will, returned to join the Christmas team in December, having left us in September to research a career in teaching. He joined Corinne’s production team until the end and then joined the shop crew. Everyone appreciates his calm approach and joy of selling.

Hattie returned for her 3rd smokery “season” from Oxford Brooks, having been our gappie in 2021. Known as “Little Boss” she keeps the warehouse staff quietly in order and is our number one stock system troubleshooter! Where would we be without her!?
Our niece, Ella, was last with us in August, in time for Hetta’s wedding preparations and visiting her Granny. Always smiling and oh so organised, we were thrilled to welcome her into the festive warehouse madness.
Scarlett, local girl and a student at Manchester, joined us part-time in the summer to learn the ropes in the office and warehouse to cover holiday leave. We were thrilled that she could join our Christmas team for the two frenetic weeks. She is super organised and a joy to employ.
Last but not least, Ben, our nephew and his school friend Max, arrived full of fun, energy and enthusiasm, straight from their first terms at LSE and Leeds University for those last two busy weeks in the warehouse. Great team players, it was a joy also having them to stay with us.

Thank you to all, have a wonderful year and we hope to see you back again for Christmas 2024!

 

We love kedgeree.  This year we made this rich buttery version using Peppered Salmon in place of Smoked Haddock for our Christmas Eve Feast but it is a fabulous winter warming treat at any time.

Serves 4

Ingredients

350g Smoked Haddock
Welsh Dragon Butter
Cotswold Gold Rapeseed Oil
2 leeks
1 small onion
1 tsp curry powder and 1 tsp turmeric
1 tin butter beans/chickpeas (optional)
2 eggs
4 handfuls of basmati
1 cup peas
2 bay leaves
a tbsp of parsley stalks
a few black peppercorns
1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley
fresh dill
3 tbsp cream

Poach the Smoked Haddock skin down in water with bay leaves, parsley stalks and black peppercorns. Reserve some fish stock.

Soften the finely diced leeks and onions in the Cotswold Gold Rapeseed Oil and Welsh Dragon Butter.  Add the curry powder and turmeric and stir in.  Then add the butter beans if using.

Cook the basmati rice in vegetable stock and add the peas. Whilst the rice is cooking boil the eggs for 8 mins for a fudgy yolk.

Flake the Smoked Haddock and fold into the spiced leek and onion mixture and add the rice and peas.

Add in the cream and some extra butter (or rapeseed oil) over a low heat. Loosen with the fish stock if needed.  (This stage is optional if you prefer a healthier, less rich, everyday version!)

Garnish with the flat leaf parsley and fresh dill and shelled eggs and serve on warmed plates.

If using Oak Roasted or Peppered Salmon, it is ready to eat and doesn’t require poaching. Simply flake and gently fold into the vegetable rice mixture on a low heat followed by the cream & butter.

Enjoy!

We’d like to say a very big Thank You to our customers for raising over £1000 to support our local Stump Up For Trees campaign; we‘ve matched your donations and altogether we’ve financed 600+ trees so far! Here’s a picture of one of the new trees – so amazing to see them taking shape.

Stump Up For Trees are a small community charity, aiming to plant a million trees in the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park.

It costs, on average, £4 to plant and maintain one tree for 12 years in this area (£5 with fencing). We will match every £2 contribution made by you, to tend a tree to a self-sustaining age.

As a family and a local business, we are committed to planting a thousand trees as a measure to offset unavoidable food miles, plastic and energy use at our Smokery. The plan is to plant the top ends of our 3 small fields with mixed hardwoods including eventually plenty of Sweet Chestnut, which can be managed by coppicing in the future. We also want to replenish the wonderful ancient hedgerows creating wider, thicker, and more effective wildlife corridors.

We’ve planted 200 trees provided by Stump Up For Trees this spring with the help of family and friends. The different species include Hawthorne, Hazel, Wild Cherry, Oak, Birch, Rowan, Guelder Rose, Dog Rose and Holly. They’re mixed native hedgerow species that will encourage insects and birds with their flowers and berries and eventually provide shelter.

We’ve also planted the bank in front of the trees with bee-friendly wild flowers: wild carrot, teasel, daisies and valerian so we’re looking forward to seeing those as well in the coming months. Next year we hope to be able to put in the Sweet Chestnut trees.

So make sure you add £2 to your order so we can fund a tree on your behalf and offset the carbon footprint of your parcel!

 

 

An easy way of making sure you don’t buy an unwanted gift for somebody this Christmas is to send one of our Christmas Gift Vouchers.  We can send them either by post or email, very handy if you’re doing some last-minute shopping!

Choose from £25, £50, £75, £100, £150 or £200. They enable your lucky gift recipients to choose their own bespoke selections of wonderfully Welsh artisan produce for delivery on a day of their choice and are particularly good for friends and family members who have “everything”.

We send the voucher direct to your loved one with your special message as with our luxury food hampers.  Each voucher carries a discount code for its value which can be used with a mail order on our website, over the phone or in person at our Smokery shop.

Another option we offer for last-minute gifting is our Gourmet Food Subscription Boxes; the gift that keeps on giving.  Monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly subscription parcels of easy-to-prepare smoked and artisan food gifts delivered by post. After the first installment, our Gourmet Food Subscription Boxes are generally delivered in the first week of each month they are due, however, we can change delivery dates and addresses at any time.

They really are the perfect artisan foodie gift for any food lover in your life, send a Christmas Gift Voucher or Gourmet Food Subscription by post this year and make someone very happy.

For all you cheese lovers out there, we have a wonderful selection of Welsh artisan cheeses, perfect for any occasion – particularly a festive cheeseboard!

For smokey lovers we have our very own favourites, produced by our loving hands – the Smoked Pwll Mawr or the Smoked Cheddar with Paprika. If you’re stuck for accompaniments, we’ve got some sauces that are sure to go down a storm, from Cranberry & Fig Chutney to Sweet Chilli Jam and Apple Cider Jelly there’s something for everyone this Christmas.

Supplied by Blaenafon Cheddar, our mini truckles of Pwll Mawr are matured in the “Big Pit” (underground) and delivered to us to smoke. The cheese is full flavoured and creamy making it perfect for cooking or to enjoy with a simple selection of crackers and chutneys.

Our personal favourite is the Smoked Cheddar with Paprika, it’s vibrant, colourful and if too much smokey flavour isn’t your thing, then this could be your perfect cheddar. The blocks of cheddar are yet again supplied by the lovely Blaenafon Cheddar, this North Wales Cheddar is rolled in paprika and gently smoked just to give a gentle flavour. This cheese is decorative and wonderfully versatile; perfect for recipes, cheeseboards or just a decadent afternoon nibble.

Head over to our Welsh Cheese & Dairy to check out the rest of our Welsh Cheese range. We’ve got everything from smooth and creamy Welsh Halloumi that’s delicious with our brand new this year Sweet Chilli Jam, golden Jersey Milk Angiddy with Cranberry & Fig Chutney, to a soft blue Perl Las.

To add some vibrant colour to your cheeseboard check out our beautiful waxed cheddars including Capel Newydd, Dragon’s Breath, 1868 Black Waxed Cheddar, try all three if you really can’t decide! We also have a young and fresh Pants-Ys-Gawn Goat’s Cheese which works perfectly in refreshing salads with smoked salmon if you’re in need of a palate cleanser. For more accompaniments, you might be tempted by our Chutneys, Jellies and Sauces.

If you’re stuck for ideas we’ve got a couple of recipe suggestions that might take your fancy. Try our smokey twist of a Welsh classic and try our Welsh Rarebit and Beetroot Chutney Recipe. Or for a quick and simple lunch idea why not try a Ploughman or a Cheeseboard – see below…

Perfect Ploughman’s Recipe

Here at the smokery, we practise what we preach, so here’s another hassle-free recipe which will go down a treat this holiday season. Serves 2-3.

Ingredients

300g Smoked Cheddar and Paprika
6 slices of Honey Mustard Ham or Charcuterie
Pickled Onion, Gherkins, Chornichon etc
Jones Kimchi / Fermented Slaws
2 Hard-Boiled Eggs
Celery Stalks, Leaves or Salad
Sourdough
Chutneys/Jellies/Sauces

Instructions

Plain and simple… Just arrange everything on a big oak platter, scatter Halen Mon Sea Salt and pepper over the eggs, and sit down and eat.

Feel free to make it your own and add or substitute ingredients. A great way to use leftovers!

 Get ahead for your Christmas planning by ordering your Ham and Salmon now!

Our Whole & Half Hams are ready to eat. Top up the glaze for a bountiful Boxing Day treat and a wonderful Christmas aroma.

Our Ham recipe is a great way to feed a crowd. Plus the leftovers are bound to keep giving for days! Made to order, our carefully cured hams are perfect for any festive meal, they create a wonderfully impressive centerpiece.

We produce our whole and half hams to order, so please order yours this year by 13th November.  Christmas hams will be delivered during the week before Christmas – choose your preferred date slot when you order.

Although all our cooked hams are pre-glazed, the vac packs can make the glaze a little soft so we suggest you top it up and fill your kitchen with the fragrance of deliciousness. For the perfect ham recipe: Make a Honey & Mustard Paste with brown sugar, honey, Tracklements’ Dijon Mustard and spread over the ham, dot with cloves, and caramelise with a cook’s blow torch. Or try a Marmalade Glaze made from Seville Orange Marmalade, brown sugar, ground cloves, and cider vinegar.

 

Have a relaxing Christmas Eve with a side of ready-to-eat Peppered Salmon, garnished and served with roasted beetroot and dill cream. 

Our Oak Roasted Salmon recipe is just brilliant for easy entertaining!

Look no further for a solution for your Christmas Eve celebrations. After a hectic day with family to enjoy and make time for preparing ahead for Christmas Day, nothing could be easier than a festive feast of ready-to-eat Oak Roasted Salmon– peppered or plain.

We serve our Oak Roasted Salmon at room temperature with quick and easy roasted new potatoes, baby beetroot roasted with shallots and dill, fresh green salad, and a bowl of dill cream to hand. Nothing nicer!

Garnish the salmon just as you please- I like to use watercress leaves or pea shoots with red pepper or chilli slivers and lime wedges but it is just as lovely to use traditional cucumber with lemon and even prawns.

To make the dill sauce- simply mix a jar of our lovely Dill & Mustard Sauce with a large tub of crème fraiche or mayonnaise. You can also use our Sweet Beetroot Chutney on the side if you are not cooking your own beetroot.

We would love to hear how you serve your Classic Festive Family foods!?

Ingredients

Smoked Duck Breast – sliced and cut into slivers
Redcurrant and Port Jelly
Crème fraîche
Canapé Shells
Pomegranate Seeds

Lay the Canapé Shells onto a serving platter or board.

Spoon in some of the crème fraîche.

Roll the Smoked Duck slivers into spirals and place on top of the crème fraîche (the crème fraîche holds the Smoked Duck in place).

Add a small dollop of the Redcurrant and Port Jelly and sprinkle on some of the pomegranate seeds.

Not only will this Smoked Duck canapé look divine it will have your guests wanting more!

Enjoy!

Come and find us at a fair near you!

We’ll be selling a scrumptious selection of our smoked produce and other delicious Welsh goodies, handing out mouth-watering Black Mountains Smokery samples and taking your all-important Christmas orders.

We love meeting our lovely customers so please do drop by to say hello xx

The green and red pins show where we are going to be – hopefully somewhere you can get to.

OCTOBER

Hungerford Christmas Fair
When: Friday 27th & Saturday 28th October 2023
Where: Hungerford Town Hall, Berkshire, RG17 0NF
Time: 10:00am – 4:00pm Download invitation

NOVEMBER

Hanmer Autumn Fayre 2023, in aid of The League of friends of RJAH Orthopaedic Hospital
When: Thursday 9th November 2023
Where: Hanmer Church, SY13 3DG (just 5 mins from Whitchurch)
Time: 12:00pm – 7:00pm Download invitation

Ludlow Racecourse Christmas Fair, in aid of The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust .
When: Tuesday 14th November 2023
Where: Clive Pavilion, Ludlow Racecourse, Shropshire, SY8 2BT
Time: 9:30am – 3:30pm Download invitation

WHCT Christmas Fair in aid of Watlington Hospital Charitable Trust
When: Tuesday 14th November 2023
Where: The Oxfordshire, Rycote Lane, Milton Common, OX9 2PU
Time: 9:30am – 3:00pm Download invitation

Mendip Christmas Fair, in aid The Guild of Friends of The Bristol Royal Hospital for Children and Children’s Hospice South West
When: Saturday 18th & Sunday 19th November 2023
Where: Aldwick Estate, BS40 5AL
Time: Saturday 10:00am – 5:00pm Sunday 10:00am – 4:00pm Download invitation

Clem’s Christmas Fair (Compton Marbling)
When: Friday 17th & Saturday 18th November 2023
Where: Compton Marbling, Lower Lawn Barns, Fonthill Gifford, Tisbury, Wiltshire, SP3 6SG
Time: 10:00am – 5:00pm Download invitation

Beaufort Christmas Fair, in aid of Youth Action Wiltshire and Wiltshire Air Ambulance.
When: Tuesday 21st November 2023
Where: Newnton Dairy Farm, Long Newnton, Wiltshire, SN16 9SR
Time: 9:30am – 8:00pm Download invitation

Wincanton Christmas Fair, in aid of Children’s Hospice South West
When: Tuesday 21st November 2023
Where: Wincanton Racecourse, Wincanton, BA9 8BJ
Time: 10:00am – 4:00pm

Presents Galore Christmas Fair, in aid of Cambridge Children’s Hospital
When: Friday 24th, Saturday 25th & Sunday 26th November 2023
Where: Millennium Grandstand, Rowley Mile Racecourse Stands, Newmarket CB8 0TF
Time: Friday 4:00pm – 8:00pm – Saturday 10:00am – 5:00pm – Sunday 10:00am – 4:00pm Download invitation

Friends of King’s College Christmas Fair

When: Saturday 25th November 2023
Where: King’s College School SW19 4TT
Time: Saturday 11:00am – 4:00pm Download invitation

DECEMBER

Black Mountains Smokery Tasting Day
When: Saturday 2nd December 2023
Where: Black Mountains Smokery, Elvicta Trading Estate, Crickhowell, NP8 1DF
Time: 10:00am – 3:00pm. Shop will be open until 5pm. Download invitation

City Christmas Fair, in aid of Wellbeing of Women
When: Monday 4th December 2023
Where: Draper’s Hall, Throgmorton Ave, London EC2N 2DQ
Time: 11.00am – 8.00pm Download invitation

Christmas Cocktail Event, in aid of Save the Children
When: Tuesday 5th December 2023
Where: Chelsea Old Town Hall, King’s Road, London. SW3 5EE
Time: 12:30pm – 9:00pm Download invitation

Is smoked food cooked already? Or do I need to cook it myself at home?

At Black Mountains Smokery we use two smoking techniques – hot smoke, and cold smoke.

The key difference between them is that one involves heat, and the other does not. Both of them infuse the product with a beautiful smokey flavour, but hot smoking (kiln-roasting), also cooks it. This means that “Hot smoked” or “Oak Roasted” produce is cooked and ready to eat straight from the packet. Most of our range is smoked in this way, from our Smoked Chicken & Duck, to our Welsh Dragon Sausages.

Most of our cold-smoked produce is also ready to eat. Cold smoking involves smouldering natural oak smoke but without heat, and therefore does not cook the produce. The products smoked in this way are Smoked Cheese and our Traditional Smoked Salmon, both of these are also ready to eat straight away.

There is one exception!

Our Smoked Haddock is cold-smoked but it does require cooking. The traditional way to cook Smoked Haddock is to poach it in milk. However, you can also bake or grill the fillets as well. For a yummy recipe for Smoked Haddock and Cockle Chowder click here. Delicious!

Our ready-to-eat smoked foods are always best served at room temperature – so do remember to get them out of the fridge and open the packaging in good time!

Please visit our Recipe pages for a good selection of serving suggestions. You can search for recipe ideas for starters, salads, main courses & nibbles as well as ideas for specific smoked foods.

Product Care

Please remember that all our produce (except our Smokey Jo’s Fish Pâté – see below) is freshly prepared and therefore suitable for home freezing. Everything has a shelf life in the fridge of between 10 & 21 days stored at 3 degrees centigrade or less. Once opened it should be consumed within 4 days.

Our Smokey Jo’s Fish Pâtés are made in-house with fresh cream and frozen straight away so they aren’t suitable for re-freezing and they have a shelf life of 7 days in the fridge.

We’re delighted to announce that our Oak Smoked Chicken has won 3-stars at this year’s Great Taste Awards.

Only 2% of entries are awarded the ‘extraordinarily tasty food and drink’ 3-star award each year so we feel very privileged.

“The smoky aroma is very appealing, and the meat is succulent and moist with a good fat-to-meat ratio. The smoke is beautifully judged and lingers on a clean chicken finish. We were really impressed with this delicious smoked chicken treat.”

Our Smoked Salmon has been rewarded with 2 Gold Stars – its 6th GTA award.

“A gentle aroma of oak combines well with the salmon. Perky coral colour, good texture, not at all greasy. Fabulous combination of the salmon and the oak – well judged. The smoke does not bully the fish at all. A skilled hand is at work here – balanced, the salt is spot on and there is a lingering flavour.”

We’re so proud of our talented production staff who make sure all our smoked produce has the perfect smokey flavour for our wonderful loyal customers – thank you!

 

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

170g Smoked Duck Breast  – thinly sliced
4 handfuls Wild Rocket Leaves
2 Little Gem Lettuces
8 Shallots
12 Baby Beetroot or 4 large
1 clove Garlic – chopped
1 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tbsp Fino Olive Oil
1 tbsp Fino Balsamic Vinegar
Lemon – juiced
Handful of toasted chopped walnuts (optional)
Halen Môn Sea Salt and black pepper

Toss the beetroot, shallots and garlic with the Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar and cumin. Season and oven roast in foil until tender.

Lightly dress the salad leaves with Olive Oil, lemon juice and seasoning.

Arrange on a platter with the cooled roasted vegetables, salad leaves and slices of Smoked Duck Breast.

Scatter over the walnuts to finish off your Smoked Duck recipe.

Enjoy!

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

300g Oak Roasted Salmon
Halen Môn Sea Salt & black pepper
1 tsp Coriander seeds
2 tbsp Parsley leaves – finely chopped
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tbsp Coriander leaves – chopped
1 Small onion – finely chopped
1 tbsp Crème fraiche
175g Basmati rice – washed
2 Eggs – hard boiled, shelled & sliced
350ml Vegetable stock
Cotswold Gold Rapeseed Oil

A delicious recipe kindly provided by our lovely customer Alex, a long-standing Smokey Jo’s Subscription holder. Her Smoked Duck with Warm Lentil Salad was an immediate hit with the BMS team.

Serves 2 as a lunch, 4 as a starter

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

200g Smoked Duck Breast 
100ml Dry Puy lentils
300ml Water (or up to half wine/half water)
1 Vegetable stock cube or pot
1 Small carrot
1 Small leek
Knob of Welsh Dragon Salted Butter
Shredded lettuce or steamed savoy cabbage
A little more wine…

In a small saucepan, bring the water/wine mix to a simmer.  Stir in the stock cube/pot until dissolved, then add the lentils and simmer 30-35 mins until just soft.  If there’s any liquid left, don’t drain or boil it off, keep the lentils moist.  These can be cooked in advance if needed.

Finely chop the carrot and finely slice the leek.  Melt the butter in a deep-sided frying pan and cook the vegetables for about 5-10 mins until soft and just beginning to catch.

Gently stir the lentils into the softened vegetables to warm them through.  Add a little extra wine or water if it’s looking dry. You want an unctuous salad, not a cascade of dry bullets.

Slice the Smoked Duck into 10 slices (12 slices if you intend to serve four).  Turn the heat off under the frying pan, place the Smoked Duck slices on top of the lentils, and leave covered for one minute.  Uncover, turn the slices over, and cover again for another minute.  This is the gentlest way to take the chill off the Smoked Duck without cooking or ruining the texture.

Season and serve with shredded lettuce or steamed savoy cabbage.

Enjoy!

Hopefully, you’ve had a fruitful harvest from your tomato plants this year? We love deep red, juicy, intense and flavourful August tomatoes; if you’ve had a glut then try our easy summery tomato salsa recipe below.

A simple tomato salsa can transform a portion of Oak Roasted Salmon or some sliced Smoked Chicken, particularly good on a picnic or as an accompaniment for a relaxing summer lunch.

Seasonal Summer Salsa

Ingredients

 

4 large ripe tomatoes
1 avocado
1/2 cucumber
1/2 lime
1 small red salad onion
1 mild green/red chilli
Handful of fresh coriander – chopped
2 tbsp of our Sweet Chilli Jam

 

Peel and dice the tomatoes and cucumber.

Cube the avocado.

Finely dice the red onion and squeeze over the lime juice to take the sting out of the onion.

Deseed and finely slice the chilli and roughly chop the coriander.

Combine all the ingredients with the Sweet Chilli Jam and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Our Oak Roasted Salmon is just brilliant for easy festive and holiday entertaining!

Look no further for a solution for your Christmas Eve celebrations.  After a hectic day with family and to make more time to prepare ahead for Christmas Day, nothing could be easier than a festive feast of ready-to-eat Oak Roasted Salmon – peppered or plain.

We serve our Oak Roasted Salmon at room temperature with quick and easy roasted new potatoes, baby beetroot roasted with shallots and dill, fresh green salad & a bowl of dill cream to hand around.  Nothing nicer!

Garnish the salmon just as you please – we like to use watercress leaves or pea shoots with red pepper or chilli slivers and lime wedges but it’s just as lovely to use traditional cucumber with lemon and even prawns.

For summer gatherings simply garnish the side of salmon with summer flowers and serve alongside your favourite salads and herb-dressed potatoes.

To make the dill sauce – simply mix a jar of our lovely Dill & Mustard Sauce with a large tub of crème fraiche or mayonnaise. You can also use our delicious Sweet Beetroot Chutney on the side if you are not cooking your own beetroot.

We would love to hear how you serve your Oak Roasted Salmon?

Perk up your lunches this summer holiday with one of our easy-to-assemble summer lunchbox salad ideas; a great healthy and cheap alternative whether you’re working from home or at the office or maybe having a special treat day out with your family.

Pack your lunchbox full of fibre, protein and colourful vegetables to stay super healthy this summer and keep you feeling full of summer fun and energy all day long! It’s a great way to use up leftover seasonal vegetables from evening meals and to keep your lunchtime costs down you can use frozen or tinned vegetables in place of fresh.

Here are a few of our favourites:

Smoked Chicken Nicoise Lunchbox (above)

Boil 2 large eggs for 8 minutes and steam 125g green beans over the eggs for 2 mins, then drain and rinse everything in cold water.
Peel the eggs. Whisk together 2 tbsp of Fino Olive Oil with 1 tbsp red wine vinegar and 1 tsp Dijon Mustard.
Add the green beans, chunks of tomato, black olives and 2 chopped spring onions and toss.
Divide between 2 lunch boxes and top with some sliced Smoked Chicken, the boiled eggs and fresh oregano if you have any.  You could add in some delicious room temperature jersey royal potatoes if desired.

Smoked Mackerel & Beans Lunchbox

Rinse a tin of cannellini or butter beans
Mix together 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp white wine vinegar and ½ tsp Horseradish Cream in a bowl and season.
Toss together the beans, 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley and ¼ finely chopped red onion.
Divide between 2 lunchboxes then top each with a Smoked Mackerel fillet and a wedge of lemon.

Oak Roasted Salmon Asian Lunchbox

Steam 125g frozen peas, 125g frozen edamame beans and 125g chopped long-stemmed broccoli for 2 minutes, then rinse under cold water.
Mix together 1 tbsp groundnut oil, 1 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tsp sesame oil in a bowl.
Add the greens with 75g of Oak Roasted Salmon, 1 tbsp chopped pickled ginger, 1 finely chopped red chilli and ½ diced avocado.
Divide between 2 lunchboxes and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

Leafy Vegetable Salad with Smoked Seeds (below)

Add together mixed leaves (baby spinach, rocket and iceberg) baby plum tomatoes, blueberries and pomegranate seeds .
Whisk together 2 tbsp Olive Oil with 1 tbsp red wine vinegar and 1 tsp Dijon Mustard.
Add any leftover cooked vegetables – squash, beetroot or sweet potato.
Sprinkle with Smoked Seeds.

Remember all our smoked produce is cooked and ready-to-eat and freezes really well.

We hope you like our Summer Lunch Box Ideas!

This is a recipe from one of our lovely long-standing customers

They make this beautiful summery dish with our Hot Smoked Trout Fillets

Serves 2

Ingredients

150g Black Mountains Smokery Hot Smoked Trout
1 tbsp Cotswold Gold Rapeseed Oil
150g pearl barley
1 tbsp pickled red onions
Handful of baby spinach leaves
Small handful of coriander leaves – roughly chopped
1 small fresh red chilli – sliced
2 boiled eggs – peeled and sliced in half
2 thick slices of bread – cubed
1 tsp mild curry powder
½ tsp sumac
1 lemon cut into wedges to garnish
Halen Môn Sea Salt and black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas 4.

Cook the pearl barley according to packet instructions and leave to cool.

Toss the cubed bread in the Cotswold Gold Rapeseed Oil, curry powder & a pinch of Halen Môn Sea Salt. Bake in the oven on a tray until brown and crunchy and leave to cool.

Combine the pearl barley, spiced croutons, pickled red onions & spinach leaves then season and transfer to a serving dish.

Flake over the Smoked Trout and add the halved boiled eggs.

Garnish with the coriander leaves, sliced chilli & lemon wedges and sprinkle over the sumac.

Serve and enjoy!

Ingredients

Black Mountains Smokery Smoked Salmon – cut into ribbons
Black Mountains Smokery Oak Roasted Salmon – broken into chunks
Lemon vinaigrette
Baby new potatoes – cooked
Green beans – cooked
Eggs (quails eggs are delicious if you can get them!) – hardboiled
Cherry tomatoes – halved
Salad leaves (we like Little Gem) – quartered longways
Feta cheese – optional
Baby asparagus – cooked – optional
Black olives and/or capers – optional (our Lilliput capers are very special!)

Layer the ingredients into a large bowl ahead of time – with the dressing at the bottom and the softest ingredients at the top.

Double cling and keep chilled in the fridge or cool box for 6-8 hours.

Simply toss before serving and enjoy!

For Mums, Dads, Grandparents & Carers everywhere the summer holidays bring both a sense of freedom and one of panic!  It’s great to have the chance for a break from the routine but it also means keeping the little ones busy and away from the television and games console…

All our Smoked Fish and Smoked Meats are ready-to-eat but can also be popped in the freezer to make preparing meals so much easier and leaves more time for you to spend with your little darlings ?

Enjoy some classic summer flavours and try this Smoked Chicken and Sweet Chilli wrap recipe for a delicious outdoor lunch in the garden or the park – it’s sure to be a hit with kids as well as adults!  There are lots more lovely summer food family feast ideas to try in the recipe section on our website.

Summer also means family holidays and if you’re planning to take a well-earned break on our beautiful island then let us cater for your beach picnics or simple lunches with our Luxury Lazy Lunch Wicker Gift Hamper or if you’d prefer then you can choose your own smokey selection of salmon, chicken, duck and cheese.  We can deliver direct to your holiday rental and you can enjoy sharing some smokey summery suppers whilst relaxing with your family – there’s something for everyone ☀️

Let’s hope the weather is beautiful and lots of wonderful memories are made ?

Ideal for Picnics, Family Friendly Feasts & Summer Celebrations

Make life easy this summer and order one of our Whole Free Range Honey-Glazed Hams for delivery directly to your door on a day that suits you.

Our Whole Hams are one of our best-selling items – so versatile, mouth-wateringly delicious and available between 2 & 5 kilos.

Some of our favourite ways to serve one of our Whole Hams:

– a couple slices of ham with a herby jersey royal potato salad, a green, broad bean & fresh pea salad or crunchy pickles and a jammy soft-boiled egg for the perfect summery lunch or light dinner in the garden – glass of rosé optional!

– simple sandwiches for a picnic with slices of sourdough bread and a yummy fruity chutney

– they also look great as the centrepiece on a summer buffet table

If you’re looking to add extra flavour then try our Seville Orange Marmalade & Dijon Mustard Glaze. We recommend 2/3 Seville Orange Marmalade to 1/3 Dijon Mustard (grainy mustard is also fine if that’s what you have in the cupboard) and you can always add cloves for a spicy aroma and brown sugar or honey if you want a sweeter flavour. Cover the ham with the mixture and use a blowtorch to caramelise.

Our Seville Orange Marmalade is also a great addition to a salad dressing for a tangy flavour to match with our award-winning Smoked Duck in a fresh, vibrant and deliciously smoky salad.

Order information – we need your ham orders by Friday the week before delivery so we can make sure we have time to prepare and get it safely on its way to you!

Smokey Jo’s Vibrant Summer Dish

Make a change from your classic coronation chicken and give this spiced chicken and orange mayonnaise recipe a try today

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 Smoked Chicken Breasts
300ml Cotswold Gold Mayonnaise
2 Oranges or 4 Tangerines
2 Tbsp Natural Yoghurt
1 Green Pepper
1 tsp Curry Powder
2 shakes Tabasco
1 shake Paprika
1 tsp Anchovy Essence

Remove the Smoked Chicken from the pack and cut into medium-thickness slices.

Take the oranges – grate the zest and then remove the peel and pith. Cut into segments and reserve half of the segments for garnishing.

Cut the green pepper into slices.

To spice the Mayonnaise simply mix in the curry powder, yoghurt, anchovy essence, tabasco, paprika and orange zest.

Add the meat, orange segments and green pepper to the spiced Mayonnaise.

Garnish with reserved orange and serve chilled with a black or basmati rice salad dressed with fresh herbs and a vinaigrette.

Enjoy!

We tried Jamie Oliver’s fabulous Summer Salmon Salad Recipe and here’s our version using Black Mountains Smokery produce

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

2 x 190g Oak Roasted Peppered Salmon
800g Jersey Royals, scrubbed clean
200ml crème fraîche
Fino Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ a cucumber
½ a bunch fennel tops
½ a bunch fresh basil or parsley
1 lemon
Halen Môn Anglesey Sea Salt and black pepper, to taste

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and add the potatoes. Bring the pan back to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes until nicely cooked. Cut any large potatoes in half.

Meanwhile, make your dressing by whisking the crème fraîche with the lemon zest and juice, a pinch of Sea Salt and black pepper and a glug of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Drain the potatoes well, tip into a mixing bowl and season immediately with salt and pepper.

Drizzle with a little Olive Oil and, after 5 minutes, stir in most of the dressing. Leave to cool.

Peel and halve the cucumber lengthways, remove the seeds and cut into ½cm slices. Roughly chop the fennel tops.

Add the cucumber and fennel to the potatoes, pick in the basil leaves or parsley and mix well.

Divide the salad evenly between four plates and flake over the Peppered Salmon.

Drizzle with a little Olive Oil and enjoy!

A simple canapé recipe using our Smoked Welsh Dragon Sausage, Canape Shells and Sweet Chilli Jam – delicious! And a great way to use up this years home-grown tomatoes.

Ingredients

Smoked Welsh Dragon Sausages – Sliced on diagonal
Canapé Shells
Sweet Chilli Jam
Cotswold Gold Rapeseed Oil
Crème fraîche
Cherry Tomatoes – Halved
Flat Leaved Parsley, Fresh Mint or Basil 

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

2 Smoked Trout Fillets (150g) – flaked
1 tbsp Horseradish Cream
1 Apple – cored & sliced
1 Celery stick – sliced
1 head Red Chicory
1 head White Chicory
Bunch of Watercress
1 tbsp Fino Olive Oil
1 lemon – juiced
1 tbsp Crème Fraîche
Halen Môn Sea Salt and Black Pepper

Sunday 18^th June 2023 is Father’s Day this year, so if you want to treat your Dad or spoil that special person in your life then we have the best gourmet food Father’s Day gifts ?

Peruse our carefully chosen selection of gourmet food hampers, special foodie gifts and gift vouchers on our website; we’ve made sure to include something to suit all budgets and tastes from £49.

If he’s a traditional carnivore then our Little Meat Feast might be just the hamper to tempt his tastebuds this Father’s Day or maybe he’s a fish lover and will love our Little Fish Feast!

If you’re thinking bigger, we have a selection of special Dad focused gourmet food hampers that are sure to impress him – both our Gourmet Meat Feast and our Gourmet Deli Hamper will put a smile on his face.

If you know he’ll love our products but we don’t have quite the right combination for him then we can easily put together a bespoke hamper with a range of goodies of your choosing. You can either do that on our website or call our office where we’re always ready to help.

And if that’s too much fuss or you think he’d rather decide for himself then why not purchase a gift voucher. They range from £25 to £200, are ready to use and just a phone call away.

Have a lovely Father’s Day this year x

We’ve got some more great new products in our shop and on our website for the spring and summer (hopefully the good weather is here to stay ?).

We’ve added a ‘Don’t Miss Out’ category to our website and it showcases all our new Welsh artisan offerings in one place as well as many of our much loved classic gourmet smoked treats. We’ve also included some information about the wonderful local Welsh producers we work with so you can learn all about the new product’s provenance and background. Our smoked food bulk buy offers are listed here as well so save some pennies and buy our top sellers for less this summer.

Our new range of pasta from Lilo’s Handmade Pasta based in Bridgend, South Wales is made with the finest Italian semolina flour and produced using an authentic Italian pasta machine. Our line-up of vibrant and delicious flavours includes Spinach Rigatoni, Beetroot Conchiglie & Charcoal Fusilli and their variety of authentic Italian shapes is the perfect texture to grab every inch of sauce. We’ve got lots of fab pasta recipes on our website so don’t forget to check those out for some helpful supper-time inspiration!

  

Sorai pride themselves on producing a range of adventurous and versatile spicy sauces that can make a simple but delicious difference to your everyday cooking. They’re an ethical, unique and artisan micro-business based in the scenic town of Abergavenny in South Wales, so just down the road from our Smokery in Crickhowell. All of their products are plant-based and they strive to promote home-based cooking, healthy well-being and diet with the unique tribal flavours of Borneo.  Our range includes Intense Ginger & Garlic, Furious Tomarind & Tempting Onion Balsamic Sauce as well as a herby Tribal Paste. They are great to use in stir-fries, dips, dressings and marinades so let’s take an aromatic, salivating, tongue-tingling, flavoursome and enjoyable foodie adventure together!

Our revamped range from Cornish Charcuterie includes a Traditional Pork Rillette, Duck Rillette with Cranberry & Grand Marnier, Potted Beef with Horseradish & Spiced Bean Crush. Cornish Charcuterie is an award-winning artisan producer of British charcuterie and cured meats; their artisan pâtés and rillettes are made from the finest ingredients on their farm in Cornwall. All the products are ambient so they can be stored outside of the refrigerator until opened – perfect for unannounced guests! They all match perfectly with our crackers or canapé shells and one of our fabulous Black Mountains Smokery chutneys.

Little Food Lovers Hamper £49

Don’t forget our 5 new smaller £49 hampers  that we’ve added to our gift line-up. Each one offers a bite-size taste of some of our top-selling smoked products and they all include an item from the stellar line-up of other Welsh produce we stock. They’re a great way to get to know your favourites from our range of locally produced award-winning smoked fish, meat and cheese.

And last but not least we wanted to mention our gorgeous Classic Smoked Salmon & Rosé Gift just in case you know someone in need of a special spring or summertime treat ?

We are delighted to have received a Highly Commended Artisan Business Award at the second Wales Food & Drink Awards held at Venue Cymru in Llandudno last Thursday night.

It was a wonderful black-tie event and we were surrounded by so many innovative and creative Welsh food and drink producers and some amazing young entrepreneurs. It was fascinating to get an in-depth picture of the future of the food and drink industry here in Wales.

I had the pleasure of sitting next to our old friend Ally Thomas from Cradoc’s Crackers and Philip Thomas from Bragdy Twt Lol (The Trefforest Brewery) who received The Business Resilience Award.

It was also great to see our friend, Alison Lea-Wilson of Halen Môn honoured with The Outstanding Contribution Award. She’s worked so hard to promote Welsh food and drink businesses over the last 25 years.

I’d like to say a huge thanks to our brilliant BMS team in production, our warehouse, and our office… this is all down to you!
Jo Xx

 

Join us as we celebrate Welsh Wine Week with an evening of wonderful White Castle Welsh wines paired with delicious Black Mountains Smokery canapés.

We are hosting an evening for wine and food lovers alongside White Castle Wines at their beautiful vineyard in the tranquil Monmouthshire countryside. Take the opportunity to meet the producers behind these Welsh family-owned businesses whilst enjoying locally produced smoked food canapés and award-winning quality Welsh wine.

Welsh Wine Week 2023 Friday 9th June @18.30 prompt at White Castle Vineyard, Llanvetherine, Abergavenny NP7 8RA

Tickets are £10.00 per person available via Welsh Wine Week 2023 Tasting

Glass of wine on arrival.

Ingredients

Smoked Chicken Breast – thinly sliced
Deli or tortilla wraps
Sweet Chilli Jam or Apple Cider Jelly, if you prefer it less spicy
Cream cheese
Sliced pickled cucumbers
A bag of baby salad leaves

Ingredients

400g Oak Roasted Salmon, flaked into large pieces
500g Shortcrust pastry
5 Eggs
250ml Cream
100ml Milk
4 Spring onions – finely chopped
Small bunch dill – finely chopped
Small bunch watercress – roughly chopped
Pinch of grated nutmeg
Halen Môn Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Aren’t we lucky to get an extra Bank Holiday this May?! We’re looking forward to coming together with our neighbours and local friends at the Coronation Big Lunch to share food and fun to celebrate the crowning of his Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen Consort on Sunday 7^th May this year.

We’ve plenty of ideas to help you create your Coronation Big Lunch Feast; our scrumptious side of Oak Roasted Salmon makes a perfect centre-piece alongside a delicious potato or beetroot salad and fresh vegetables or salad leaves and you have a wonderful fuss-free meal to feed many!

Perhaps you need to bring along a plate of nibbles to your Coronation Big Lunch; we have an easy Smoked Chicken Canapé idea or if you’re looking for a sweet treat our yummy Mini Banoffee Pie Canapés with Halen Mon Salted Caramel Sauce are sure to be hit.

Welsh Festive Feast Hamper – Little Meat Feast Hamper

Whether you’re having a huge street party or a more intimate celebration, make life easy and choose one of our specially curated hampers. We have a selection of the finest artisan Welsh produce with everything you need for the ultimate celebration this bank holiday.

Add a selection of our delightful Welsh Cheeses with Welsh Artisan Crackers and one of our bespoke jellies or chutneys for a spread to be proud of!

See our recipe pages for some inspiration; lots of fuss-free, simple and healthy ideas for you to enjoy on all three Bank Holidays this May!

We hope you like our Coronation Big Lunch Food Ideas!

Fingers crossed the weather will be kind to us ☀️

We’re very excited to showcase some great new products now available on our website and in our shop this Spring!

The first of these is the fabulous Stonebird Teku Teku Rosé Wine; it’s a 2020 vintage mix of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes grown in Kent and aged in traditional amphorae with minimal intervention not far from us near Raglan in Monmouthshire. The wine has a playful peach colour, and also has peach on the nose with orange zest and elderflower. Flavours of blood orange, rhubarb, and an exciting zingy acidity are balanced with a distinct chalky element from the amphorae. We think it goes really well with our Smoked Salmon particularly as the weather starts to warm up this April, we’re really looking forward to thawing ourselves out and discarding some layers here at the Smokery!

We have also welcomed Cheese Nibbles; delicious handcrafted cheesy sablé biscuits with Sundried Tomato, Chilli, Pistachio or Stilton & Almond. They are produced by a small family business in the South Shropshire Hills near Shrewsbury and are a simple but luxurious treat perfect for any occasion. Our favourites are the Pistachio & Parmesan – very more-ish with a glass of chilled rosé wine!

Little Food Lovers Hamper £49

We’ve added 5 new smaller £49 hampers  to our gift line-up; offering a bite-size taste of some of our top-selling smoked products and all hampers also include an item from the stellar line-up of other Welsh produce we stock. They’re a great way to get to know your favourites from our range of locally produced award-winning smoked fish, meat and cheese.

And last but not least we have a gorgeous new Classic Smoked Salmon & Rose Gift if you know someone in need of a special springtime treat this April ?

 

Delicious Welsh Meat-Free Sausages made using our Smoked Welsh Cheddar with Paprika

Makes 16 sausages 

Ingredients

125g Smoked Welsh Cheddar with Paprika
225g fresh breadcrumbs
175g leek shredded and sautéed
3 medium size free-range eggs
a drop of milk
1⁄2 teaspoon mustard powder
1 heaped tablespoon of chopped parsley
Cotswold Gold Rapeseed Oil, for frying
Halen Môn Sea Salt and white pepper

Coating –
100g fresh breadcrumbs
1 medium sized egg
4 tbsp milk

Mix the breadcrumbs, Smoked Welsh Cheddar with Paprika, seasoning, mustard, leek and parsley.

Beat the eggs and add to the ingredients. Mix the ingredients to form a firm dough and add a drop of milk if too dry. Divide the mixture into 16, and form each portion into a small sausage shape.

For the coating, beat the egg and add the milk. Place the breadcrumbs on a plate and season. Take each sausage and roll it in the mixture, drain a little, then roll in the breadcrumbs. Repeat until all the sausages are coated and chill for an hour.

Heat a heavy base frying pan, add a little oil, add the sausages a few at a time and fry gently over a medium-low heat until golden all over and cooked through.

Enjoy!

Also great served with our Sweet Chilli Jam!

 

 

Ideally we need all orders by Friday 31st March to avoid disappointment. We will send orders as early in the week as possible – all our produce has at least 3 weeks’ shelf life and can also be frozen.

Our Hams must be ordered by latest 30th March as they are produced to order.

We can still take orders over the weekend and the beginning of the week for delivery the week before Easter but can’t guarantee we will have exactly what you want.

So please order in advance!

We endeavour to fulfil every order (even last-minute orders) however ordering in advance really helps us to plan our production and deliver you the freshest produce on your day of choice ?

Have fun this year with your Easter Family Entertaining & Gifts x

Easter is a perfect excuse to eat as much chocolate as you like but it’s also a great excuse for a family and friends’ get-together – who doesn’t love an Easter Egg Hunt?!

Welcome the start of Spring this year with a divine spread of easy-to-prepare delicious artisan produce for your table over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend. Try this Smoked Chicken Spring Salad for your Easter family entertaining or maybe you’re having an informal gathering with drinks and nibbles; we’ve some delicious Smoked Salmon & Smoked Duck canapé recipes – see our videos to make your preparation as easy as can be!

If you’re looking to send Easter Gifts we have a selection of food gifts by post to delight your recipient. From our brand new Little Food Lovers Gift Hamper and Little Fish Feast Gift Hamper to a Luxury Lazy Lunch Wicker Gift Hamper – put a smile on someone’s face with a scrummy smoky treat this Easter ? and give them a break from the kitchen!

Little Food Lovers Gift Hamper – Luxury Lazy Lunch Wicker Gift Hamper

Our Easter Early Bird Offer is a free Smoked Salmon Pate with every order over £55 and expires on the 20th of March. Sign up to our newsletter here for the code.

LAST ORDER DATES FOR EASTER 2023

Ideally we need all orders by Friday 31st March to avoid disappointment. We will send orders as early in the week as possible – all our produce has at least 3 weeks’ shelf life and can also be frozen.  Hams must be ordered by latest 30th March as they are produced to order.

We can still take orders on Sunday 2nd April for delivery the week before Easter but can’t guarantee we will have exactly what you want. So please order in advance!

We endeavour to fulfil every order (even last-minute orders) however ordering in advance really helps us to plan our production and deliver you the freshest produce on your day of choice ?

Have fun this year with your Easter Family Entertaining & Gifts x

Our Smoked Seeds make a delicious addition to any Spring Salad!

I often bring a salad to work for a quick, easy and healthy weekday lunch. I tend to use any salad ingredients from our vegetable box or perhaps some leftover vegetables from our evening meal (cooked sweet potato, beetroot or squash) alongside any suitable fruit and perhaps some nuts. Our Smoked Pumpkin & Sunflower Seeds make a great crunchy salad topper; they’re full of antioxidants that are good for fighting the signs of ageing and helping with brain and mental health. They also have a high mineral content including phosphorus, iron & magnesium so provide a much-needed energy boost in the middle of the day.

To make the colourful serving suggestion above combine mixed leaves (rocket, iceberg, baby spinach, green herbs), baby plum tomatoes, blueberries, and pomegranate. You can add some sliced Smoked Chicken or Smoked Cheese for extra protein, sprinkle with Smoked Seeds, croutons &/or pine nuts, add an olive oil dressing of your choice and enjoy! ?

We’ll be posting some Smokey Spring Salad Lunchbox ideas in the coming weeks so look out for those.

Jo x

A smokey twist on a classic Italian dish, this Smoked Chicken Lasagne is a decadent, creamy lasagne packed with chunks of Smoked Chicken, juicy tomatoes, mushrooms and Smoked Pwll Mawr Cheddar? A simple recipe that makes a really delicious supper!

Serves 4

Ingredients

225g Smoked Chicken – cut into small chunks
250g Fresh Egg Lasagne
225g Smoked Pwll Mawr Cheddar – grated
75g Welsh Dragon Butter
225g Mushrooms – chopped or sliced
225g Cherry Tomatoes – quartered
40g Plain Flour
300ml Milk
100g Soft Cheese
150ml Double cream
Freshly ground black pepper

Melt 20g of the Welsh Dragon Butter & add the sliced mushrooms, season with pepper and cook.

Melt the rest of the Welsh Dragon Butter, add the flour and whisk over a gentle heat until smooth, then remove from the heat and slowly add the milk to create smooth sauce. Bring to the boil and whisk until the sauce thickens, reduce the heat and cook for a couple of minutes whilst stirring. Finally take it off the heat and stir in the soft cheese and double cream.

Put a layer of sauce over the base of a deep rectangular ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with a quarter of the Smoked Pwll Mawr Cheddar. Place lasagne sheets on top. Cover with half of the tomatoes, half of the cooked mushrooms and half the Smoked Chicken. Spoon over a further thin layer of sauce and cover with another quarter of the Smoked Pwll Mawr Cheddar. Lay more lasagne sheets on top to cover.

Add the remaining tomatoes, cooked mushrooms and Smoked Chicken. Spoon over a further thin layer of sauce and sprinkle half the remaining Smoked Pwll Mawr Cheddar. Top with lasagne sheets and add the remaining sauce and Smoked Pwll Mawr Cheddar.

Bake in a preheated oven for about 25 minutes at Fan 170°C until the cheese begins to brown. Grill for 5 minutes for a crisp golden top.

Serve and enjoy!

The BMS Roadshow – Food Festivals, Fairs & Events 2023

We really enjoyed our Roadshow events in 2022 and we’ve had a great time meeting our lovely customers once again; many who’ve been with us for years and plenty of new faces as well. Thanks to all of you for coming and finding us and placing your all-important Christmas orders.

We are busy planning our events calendar for Autumn & Christmas 2023 – please see here for the latest schedule.

Welsh Wine Week Event 9th June 2023

We are hosting an evening for wine and food lovers alongside White Castle Wines at their beautiful vineyard in the rolling Monmouthshire countryside. Take the opportunity to meet the producers behind two Welsh family-owned businesses whilst enjoying locally produced smoked food canapés and wine.

Tickets are £10.00 per person available from our website.

Glass of wine on arrival

When: Welsh Wine Week 2023 Friday 9th June @18.30 prompt

Where: White Castle Vineyard, Llanvetherine, Abergavenny NP7 8RA

St David’s Day London Market

St David’s Day London Showcase presented by Wales Food & Drink

A celebration of wonderful Welsh food & drink in Central London on the bank of the Thames. There will be professional cooking demonstrations and much to sample. Please come and find us alongside Wickedly Welsh Chocolate, Trailhead Jerky, Aber Falls Distillery, Jones Trust your Gut, SamosaCo, Coaltown Coffee, Radnor Preserves, Blaenafon Cheddar and Rogue Welshcakes.

When: 25th and 26th of February 2023

Where: Observation Point & Riverside Grass, 56 Upper ground, London SE1 9PP

A selection of the finest Welsh producers alongside cookery demonstrations and delicious tasting to celebrate St. David’s Day and Welsh food & drink!

#CaruCymruCaruBlas #LoveWalesLoveTaste #BwydDiodCymru #FoodDrinkWales #DyddGwylDewi #StDavidsDay

 

Conjure up an Indoor Picnic for a Six Nations Rugby Party!

The Six Nations Rugby tournament is an absolute highlight for us every year; such a great opportunity for a get-together at home with family and friends – we all need a bit of cheering up by the beginning of February!

Our Gourmet Meat Feast has everything you need for an afternoon of grazing with back-to-back rugby matches on the box – a luxury hamper box filled with enough meaty treats to satisfy even the most ardent carnivore.

Buy our Gourmet Meat Feast Hamper £125 – Buy our Little Meat Feast Hamper £55

Indulge your guests with our in-house Smoked Duck, Smoked Chicken and Smoked Sausage served with delicious Black Mountains Smokery accompaniments including Sweet Beetroot Chutney and Spiced Citrus Jelly.

There’s also a choice of meaty Terrines, chunks of Chorizo and Fennel Salami, Free Range Sliced Ham and locally-made artisan crackers plus a few chocolatey treats of course!

Alternatively, you can put together your own delectable selection from our locally produced free-range Trealy Farm Charcuterie.

Buy our Tapas Treats Hamper £99 – Try our locally sourced Trealy Farm Charcuterie £5.95 – £10.95

From Pork Collar and Game Salami to Venison Carpaccio and Beef Bresaola, our cured meats are full of natural sweetness intensified with a variety of herbs and spices.

Perhaps add some wonderful Welsh Cheeses from our Welsh Dairy and finish it all off with sliced fruit for a glorious afternoon platter. Or try our perfectly curated Tapas Treats Hamper, a specially selected mixture of meat, cheese and other yummy snacks to graze on.

Maybe you’d prefer to serve your guests an extra special bacon sandwich. We have a choice of Free Range Smoked, Unsmoked and Streaky Bacon; dry cured for a full flavour and firm texture. Just add some white soft sliced bread and bottle of tomato ketchup – yum!

We also have a smaller Little Meat Feast Gift Hamper if you’re having a quieter gathering, plenty of our finest smoked goodies to keep you going for a couple of matches at least! All our hampers include free postage and packing so let us take care of everything for you – we can deliver directly to you on your day of choice.

And don’t forget our local beers, cider and wine to wash it all down ? ? ?

It’s sure to be a closely fought tournament with France and Ireland looking like the two teams to beat but Good Luck to all six nations – mainly Wales though! ?

Shrove Tuesday is always a good excuse to tuck into a pile of pancakes!

We’ve got some delicious recipes on our website to help you enjoy your evening. Why not try this Smoked Salmon Pancake Recipe as a main course next Tuesday night; super-easy and really delicious.

 

Buckwheat & Laverbread Pancakes with Smoked Salmon & Citrus Cream

Ingredients

100g buckwheat flour
300ml milk
2 large eggs, beaten
1 x Laverbread 120g tin
50g Dragon Butter melted & cooled
200g Smoked Salmon
6 tbsp crème fraîche
1 lemon, juiced & zested
1tsp Olives et al Lilliput Capers
4 sprigs of dill and/or some spinach leaves (optional)

Put the flour, eggs, milk, butter, and a pinch of Halen Mon Sea Salt into a bowl & whisk to a smooth batter. Fold the Laverbread into the batter.

Set a frying pan over a medium heat and melt a knob of butter.

When hot, pour in your batter & cook the pancakes until golden on both sides, keeping them warm in a low oven as you go.

To make the toppings, mix the crème fraîche with the lemon juice – you could also add some dill here too. Top the pancakes with a dollop of lemony crème fraiche, some smoked salmon and capers/spinach. Enjoy x

And of course there’s the more Traditional Pancake; we don’t need to tell you what to do with these!

Just add lashings of whatever takes your fancy whether it be a delicious fruity sirop, scrumptious Caramel Sauce, silky natural yoghurt, or local Welsh Honey.

Here are some other recipes to tantalise the taste buds…

Smoked Duck Pancake

In Russia Shrove Tuesday is known as blini day, why not try something different this year to pancakes and if your really feeling fancy add some Caviar too!

Smoked Salmon Laverbread Blinis Recipe

One of my favourite gifts this Christmas was a cookbook by Jane Lovett from my son Hugh and this is our new fave recipe using our delicious Smoked Haddock and Welsh Angiddy Cheese. Really creamy and comforting and so tasty. We made it for supper last week, hope you like the pic! Enjoy x

Ingredients

340g Smoked Haddock
200g Angiddy Cheese, diced
300g orzo
1 litre fish/chicken stock
1 Onion, finely diced
1 leek, sliced
5 tbsp double cream
3 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
3 tbsp breadcrumbs
Small bunch chopped parsley
Fino Olive Oil
Halen Môn Sea Salt & pepper
Steamed green vegetables or a green salad

Preheat the oven to 220C.

Soften the onion and leek in Fino Olive Oil. Stir in the orzo and add the stock. Bring to the boil and simmer until the pasta is al dente.

While the pasta cooks, dice the Smoked Haddock.

Take off the heat and stir in the Smoked Haddock, the Angiddy Cheese, the cream and the Halen Môn Sea Salt and pepper. Tip the mixture into an ovenproof dish and sprinkle with the parmesan and breadcrumbs.

Bake until golden and scatter with parsley.

Serve with steamed green vegetables or a green salad and enjoy!

Try this chicken pie with a twist; smokey, cheesy and crispy all in one dish!

Serves 4

Ingredients

350g Smoked Chicken
150g Pwll Mawr Cheddar Cheese
2 bunches spring onions
250g spinach
1 small tub creme fraiche
4 sheets ready rolled filo pastry
Fennel and Sesame seeds – toasted
A few drizzles of Fino Olive Oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Green leafy salad, to serve

Firstly, preheat the oven to 200ºC.

Slice the Smoked Chicken, add the tub of creme fraiche and most of the grated Pwll Mawr Cheddar. Combine and season with black pepper.

Chop the spring onions, placing them into a non-stick ovenproof frying pan on a high heat with a tablespoon of Fino Olive Oil. Fry for 2 minutes, then add the spinach, let it wilt and turn the heat off.

Add the Smoked Chicken and Smoked Pwll Mawr Cheddar mix into the pan.

Layer the filo on top, tucking it around the Smoked Chicken and tear the last sheet into strips and place on top as above. Sprinkle the toasted fennel and sesame seeds on top of the filo.

Grate over the last bit of Smoked Pwll Mawr Cheddar, drizzle with Fino Olive Oil and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden and crisp.

Enjoy with a green leafy salad.

Our version of this superb French dish. Guaranteed to send you to smokey Welsh heaven!

Serves 4

Ingredients

6 rashers Smoked Back Bacon
250g Celtic Promise Cheese
750g waxy potatoes
1 onion
1 small tub single cream
A few splashes of Fino Olive Oil
A pinch of Halen Môn Sea Salt
Fresh green salad leaves, to serve

Preheat the oven to 220C/Gas 7/fan oven 200C.

Slice the potatoes into thick rounds, then boil in salted water for 8-10 minutes, until just tender.

 Chop and fry the onion in Fino Olive Oil until softened. Cube the Smoked Back Bacon into pieces and add to the pan; stir well and cook until both the onion and the Smoked Back Bacon are caramelised.

Chop the Celtic Promise Cheese into chunks.

 Layer half the potatoes in a large ovenproof dish and scatter over half the onion, Smoked Back Bacon, and Celtic Promise Cheese. Season and layer the rest of the potatoes and add the remaining ingredients.

 Pour cream over the top and bake for 10-12 minutes until golden.

Serve with fresh green salad leaves and enjoy!

We will be closing our books soon, so this is the last call for Christmas orders!

 

 

The order books are filling up fast, but we do still have space for Christmas deliveries between the 19th-21st, please order quickly to secure these dates.

If you are looking for a gourmet Christmas present for a loved one, send a food gift by post this year. Our festive food hampers are a special treat to spoil yourself with, and ideal for Christmas entertaining with friends and family.  For all those Smoked Fish fanatics and Pescatarians, we have compiled our top ten best-selling Smoked Fish Hampers and Smoked Salmon and Smoked Trout Sides. Alternatively, our top ten best-selling Christmas gift hampers are filled with gourmet smoked foods and other artisan treats for those discerning food lovers on your gift list.

Why not take a look at our Artisan Food Stocking Fillers? These are our most popular small presents, perfect for gifting or treating yourself with!

For the Carthew’s Christmas, they enjoy a side of Oak Roasted Salmon on Christmas Eve, halloumi, and charcuterie for those lazy nibbles or lunches and delicious canape shells for stuffing with pate and leftovers!

* Please note that we are no longer able to accept orders for Christmas hams.

 

 

How To Make Our Simple Canapes at Home

We’ve put together some videos to show you how to make our simple yet delicious Smoked Food Canapes; very handy to pass around at a drinks party! Our Canape Shells are so versatile for easy entertaining and keep really well in an airtight box or can be frozen and then refreshed in the oven.

Follow the links below to our YouTube page and we’ll talk you through how to make lovely canapes using some of our most popular products. From classic Oak Roasted Salmon with Creme Fraiche & Beetroot Chutney to simple Crispy Fried Welsh Dragon Sausages with Very Chilli Sauce and also a sweet treat with scrumptious Welsh Halen Mon Salted Caramel Sauce.

Look out for some more over the coming week! X

Oak Roasted Salmon Canapes

Mini Banoffee Pie Canapes

Crispy Fried Smoked Welsh Dragon Sausage Canapes

 

We’re in The Telegraph!

We’re delighted to be mentioned in The Telegraph this weekend!

Happy shopper | Britain’s 15 best high streets
Each of these thoroughfares is endowed with history, good looks and no shortage of independent businesses.

So nice to see some love and appreciation for Crickhowell High Street and we’re chuffed to be in such great company with some of the other fantast

ic independent high streets in the U.K

We wish all the small businesses here in Crickhowell the very best for Christmas 2022; we love being part of a small high street community especially at this time of year.

Please shop local this Christmas!

 

A hearty Winter Harissa Stew with Smoked Cheddar Dumplings, perfect for Christmas entertaining!

Serves 4

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

1 tbsp sunflower oil

1 onion, chopped

4 celery sticks, thickly sliced

250g butternut squash and sweet potato

1tsp smoked paprika

1 tin of plum tomatoes

1 tbsp Red Chilli Harissa

Cumin and Coriander Olives

Lilliput Capers

2 large courgettes, halved lengthways and thickly sliced

400g cannellini beans, drained

1 vegetable stock cube

 

For the dumplings

25g butter, diced

200g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

75g Smoked Paprika Cheddar

100ml milk

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 /180c/gas 6

Heat the oil in a large wide-topped casserole dish, then fry the onion and celery until softened and starting to colour. Add the squash, sweet potato and smoked paprika, and fry for a few minutes

Tip in the tomatoes and a tin of water, then stir in the Red Chilli Harissa , courgettes, Cumin and Coriander Olives, Lilliput Capers, and Cannellini beans and crumble in the stock. Cover and simmer until the vegetables are almost tender.

Meanwhile, rub the butter into the flour and baking powder with a good pinch of salt, then mix in the Smoked Paprika Cheddar.

When the stew is ready, pour the milk into the dumpling mix, combining it to make a dough. Turn out onto your work surface (no need to flour it), lightly shape it into a sausage and cut into 8 equal pieces.

Place the dumplings, evenly spaced on top of the stew and bake in the oven for 15-20 mins until golden and cooked through.

 

Christmas Tasting Day 2022

Ingredients

Black Mountains Smokery Oak Smoked Salmon – flaked
Canapé Shells
250g Crème Fraiche or Llaeth Y Llan Natural Yogurt
3 tsp Tracklements Dill Sauce
1 Lemon – zest
Sweet Beetroot Chutney
Halen Mon Sea Salt & Black Pepper

Mix the Natural Yogurt, Dill Sauce and lemon zest in a bowl and add salt and pepper to taste.

Lay out the Canapé Shells on a serving platter. Add a dollop of the dill cream to the shells and place the Oak Smoked Salmon on top then dot with Sweet Beetroot Chutney.

Finish your Oak-Roasted Salmon Party Nibble with a sprig of dill and a twist of black pepper and enjoy!

Canapé shells are perfect for party nibbles. They can be filled well in advance, (a good hour), without becoming soggy and some of our more inventive customers have started using them in the oven for hot nibbles. Keep them fresh in a tupperware box or biscuit tin once they’ve been opened. You can also freeze them but they must then be freshened in the oven before using.

Enjoy our Oak Roasted Salmon Party Nibbles this Christmas!

Learn how to slice your own Smoked Salmon at home

People often ask us: ‘What machine do you use to slice your salmon?’
Well, here it is, and his name is Hugh!

He is immense over the extremely busy Christmas period, and alongside Corrine & Alex, our production team heroes painstakingly hand slice smoked salmon for thousands of orders, making sure they are all to the highest standard –  we just cannot thank them all enough.

We thought it would be nice for you all to see how we get those perfect hand-sliced smoked salmon sides! Listen carefully – the master is at work!

We hope this little video is helpful for those of you who want to give it a try at home. You’ll need a long, thin & flexible blade, if not a proper Salmon knife and one of our Traditional Oak Smoked Salmon Unsliced Sides to try your hand at. After slicing, serve on a bespoke Oak Platter, for maximum wow factor around the dinner table.

For those of you that prefer your Smoked Salmon pre-sliced … this will give you a little insight into how lovingly we prepare each order of smoked salmon!

If you’re more interested in what goes on before the slicing, you can find out more about our smoking processes here.

Black Mountains Smokery GTA 2022

We are proud to announce that we have been awarded a prestigious Gold Star from the Great Taste Awards 2022 for both our Hot-Smoked Trout and Smoked Sea Bass.

It’s the first time we’ve entered either of these products into the awards so we are delighted to have received such a high-profile award for them both right away.

Recognised as a stamp of excellent quality and sought out by food lovers and retailers, Great Taste, organised by the Guild of Fine Food, values taste above all else.

It’s a wonderful accolade for our hard-working team who are always striving to make our products the best they can be.

Here are a couple of quotes from the judges:

Black Mountains Smokery Smoked Trout

‘A pretty pale rose pink trout fillet with a light catching sheen…fresh, gentle, subtle wood-smoked flavour’

Black Mountains Smokery Smoked Sea Bass

‘We like the originality of a smoked sea bass fillet…the flesh is dense with a good bite offering up a delicate sweet finish that lingers in harmony with the well-judged smoke. Moist and very delicious’

Thank you for our Black Mountains Smokery GTA 2022!

Autumn Days at Black Mountains Smokery

As the summer comes to a close we are looking forward to beautiful autumn days here in the Black Mountains.  As well as enchanting scenery we are surrounded by lots of delicious seasonal produce; apples, wild blackberries, pears, damsons, pumpkins, and chestnuts… even bilberries!
The cooler weather is moving in, and outdoor activities are put away for another year so thoughts naturally move to harvest time and preparations for the winter.  Now is the perfect time to get out, gather as much as you can (enlist helpers if needed!) and have a go at creating some seasonal accompaniments to help easily elevate your lunches and suppers throughout the next few months.
Our smoked meats – duck, chicken and sausage – and cheese work so well with fresh and zingy fruity chutneys and jellies.  If you don’t have time to make your own this year we have a range of Black Mountains Smokery accompaniments made to a traditional family recipe.

https://www.smoked-foods.co.uk/chutney-jellies-sauces

One of the highlights of the autumn season for us is the Abergavenny Food Festival held a few short miles down the road from our Smokery.
The food festival has retained its authentic feel since its inception in 1999 and it genuinely celebrates the local produce and producers in our area as well as being a great place to bring friends and family to eat, listen to talks or music and socialise together.
It’s a lovely opportunity for us to see our regular customers in person and we hope to meet many new ones as well.  There will also be several of our great friends in attendance from the food production industries around the UK and we love catching up and finding out what’s happening and how people are progressing and adapting to the new challenges.

Here’s to cosy pints in the pub and fruitful harvests for everyone! ???

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

300g Oak Roasted Salmon
4 Ripe Tomatoes – chopped
1 Avocado – chopped
Half of a lemon or lime – juiced
1 Small red onion or 6 spring onions – chopped
1 Red chilli – finely chopped (optional)
Fresh basil or coriander – chopped or torn
1 tbsp Fino Olive Oil
Halen Môn Sea Salt and pepper
1 tsp Sweet Chilli Jam (optional)
Balsamic syrup (to garnish)
Baby leaves and whole fresh herbs (to garnish)

Dressing-

3 tbsp Fino Olive Oil
Half a lemon or lime – juiced
Fresh herbs
Halen Môn Sea Salt and pepper

Soak the avocado in half of the lemon/lime juice and mix with all the other ingredients.

Place the Oak Roasted Salmon on plates and arrange the avocado salsa beside it. Use a cylindrical mould to give a layered effect.

Combine the Fino Olive Oil, lemon juice, seasoning and fresh herbs to make the dressing.

Finally, drizzle over the dressing and top with baby leaves.

Serve and enjoy in the warm weather!

A tribute to Tom Kerridge’s delicious Smoked Haddock & Spinach Egg Pots Recipe, here’s our version using Black Mountains Smokery Haddock.

Great to serve for brunch if you’re entertaining guests!

Serves 4

Ingredients

200g Smoked Haddock Fillets
1 tsp Welsh Dragon Butter – for greasing
50g Smoked Cheddar with Paprika, grated
4 tbsp fresh Sourdough – for breadcrumbs
Angel Bakery Sourdough – cut into toast soldiers
200g baby spinach
6 large free-range eggs
200ml crème fraiche
1/4 tsp of freshly grated nutmeg
Halen Môn Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chopped flat-leaf parsley, to finish
2 tbsp water

Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6.

Butter the insides of four 250ml ramekins, then coat the dishes with the breadcrumbs.

Cube and divide the Smoked Haddock between the dishes. Stand the dishes on a baking tray.

Wilt the spinach over high heat in a large pan with 2 tbsp of water. Stir until the spinach has completely softened, about 3–4 minutes.

Remove from the heat and drain. Leave to cool slightly, then squeeze out as much liquid from the spinach as possible. Roughly chop and divide between the four ramekins.

Whisk the eggs and crème fraîche together in a bowl and season with the grated nutmeg and a little Salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture into the ramekins and sprinkle the grated Smoked Cheddar with Paprika over the top.

Place the tray on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Turn the oven to the grill setting and cook the egg pots for a further 5 minutes or until the Smoked Cheddar with Paprika is golden brown.

Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with buttered Sourdough toast soldiers on the side.

Serve fresh and enjoy!

Black Mountains Smokery Out in the Wilds of Wales!

August means summer holidays once again and we’ve put together a little guide to a few of the places across Wales that make wonderful smoked food creations with produce from Black Mountains Smokery for you to enjoy!

Wales is one of the most beautiful countries in the world and its unique charm attracts millions of visitors a year. There are so many wild and wonderful places to seek out; from rugged peaks and idyllic lakes to long sandy beaches and summer is a great time to visit.

Restaurants, pubs, and cafes are in abundance and we’re lucky to supply many of the popular hospitality venues in our local area as well as a few further afield. Here are some of the places that use our produce and the tasty dishes they make with Black Mountains Smokery smoked salmon and oak roasted salmon.

The Little Tea Rooms create fabulous food and drink from a picturesque boatyard near the stunning seaside village of Abersoch in North Wales. They are committed to using Welsh produce in an ethical and eco-friendly way and have this divine-looking Eggs Royale with Black Mountains Smokery Smoked Salmon on their menu.

Abergavenny is just down the road from our smokery in Crickhowell and is often referred to as the ‘Gateway to Wales’. There are some excellent foodie outlets in this ancient town and Bean & Bread has a prime spot right in the centre. They serve delicious Black Mountains Smokery Oak Roasted Salmon with Dill Cream Cheese, Pickled Red Onions & Lemon Dressing on Sourdough.

Milk and Sugar in Cardiff is a new customer and they serve this tempting-looking Black Mountains Smoked Salmon with beetroot and baby leaves to take away from their shop in the pretty neighbourhood of Pontcanna. It’s a lovely area surrounded by beautiful architecture and independent shops, a great place for a sunny afternoon stroll!

 Wright’s is a shop and kitchen in Llanarthney, West Wales. They make a gorgeous Black Mountains Smokery Oak Roasted Salmon open sandwich that they sell alongside our smoked duck and smoked salmon in their delightful and well-stocked shop.

We hope you have a lovely summer break whether you’re staying in the UK or taking the opportunity to venture further afield this year. Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to come across one of these special places!

Quick, Easy and Delicious and…. Only one pan to wash

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

200g Trealy Farm Fennel Cooking Sausages – sliced into bite-sized pieces
450ml light chicken stock
400g tin chopped or plum tomatoes
175g rigatoni or penne pasta
1 clove of garlic, sliced
2 tbsp soft cheese (or use double cream or crème fraîche)
2 tbsp parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to serve
½ tsp hot-smoked paprika
1 tbsp tomato purée
a pinch of dried chilli flakes (optional)
Halen Môn Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fry the sliced Trealy Farm Fennel Cooking Sausages until golden brown. Add the garlic, fennel seeds, smoked paprika and chilli flakes, and cook for 2 minutes.

Tip in the tomatoes, tomato purée and stock, and bring to a simmer.

 Stir in the pasta, put on a lid and cook on a gentle simmer for 12-15 minutes, stirring now and again.

When the pasta is almost cooked, stir in the cheeses and basil and season with the Halen Môn Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper. Leave to sit off the heat for 2 minutes.

Serve in warm bowls with extra parmesan, if you like, and enjoy!

This Spanish inspired smokey sensation is perfect for your summer spreads

Serves 4

 

Ingredients

200g Trealy Farm Chorizo Cooking Sausages, sliced into bite-sized pieces
4 Smoked Mackerel fillets, skinned
900g potatoes, cut into small cubes
250g cherry tomatoes, halved
2 small onions, chopped
A Large handful of fresh parsley leaves, chopped
Mixed leaf salad, to serve

Heat a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the sliced Trealy Farm Chorizo Cooking Sausages and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, until most of the oil has been released. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions and potatoes to the pan. Coat in the oil from the Trealy Farm Chorizo Cooking Sausages and cook for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the potatoes are just tender and the onions golden.

Stir the tomatoes and Trealy Farm Chorizo Cooking Sausages into the pan. Flake the Smoked Mackerel Fillets with a fork and add them to the pan. Gently mix and cook for 2 minutes, until piping hot. Stir in the parsley.

Divide between 4 plates and serve with a mixed leaf salad.

Enjoy!

Summer has arrived and socialising is back on the cards… and we couldn’t be happier! To celebrate, we’ve put together some mouth-watering summer tapas ideas.

If you didn’t know already, we adore entertaining and it’s partly what has inspired our food over the years .. and why we still eat so much of it!  It’s fresh, tasty and most importantly – ready to eat!  Simply open the packet, let the product breathe and come to room temperature and enjoy – which means less time cooking and more time having fun!

There are, of course, all of our classics – Smoked Salmon, Smoked Duck, Smoked Chicken, Smoked Trout – which can be used for delicious canapes take a look at last month’s blog! and salads. There is also our scrumptious range of pâtés that will blow your guests away.  Made to Smokey Jo’s very own recipe and freshly prepared by our team in Crickhowell – a perfect and ridiculously easy starter served with warm sourdough toast and leafy greens.

What may not have caught your eye though is our mouth-watering range of artisan charcuterie:

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Air Dried Pork Collar “Coppa” 

Air Dried Monmouthshire Ham

Beef Bresaola 

Juniper-Cured Wild Venison Carpaccio 

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Fennel Salami

Spicy Smoked Paprika Chorizo

Game Salami (Wild Venison & Pork & Red Wine)

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

And not forgetting the Semi-Dried Cooking Sausages, ideal for Spanish-style Tapas dishes – but these do require cooking for preparation.  Simply fry in a little olive oil either whole or sliced.

All of the beef, pork and venison is sourced with great care from either UK free-range farms or sourced sustainably from the wild. It is multi-award-winning charcuterie produced by our friends at Trealy Farm, dubbed “The best artisan charcuterie in the UK” by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

It really is quite delicious – even if we do say so ourselves. In this month’s special offer – sign up to our newsletter and spend at least £50 to receive a voucher code for a free pack of Fennel salami with your order.

Easy entertaining really doesn’t get much easier than this. Simply arrange the charcuterie on a sharing platter or board with some olives, cheese, and crudites and allow your guests to dig in. Deliciously moreish and gone in a second!

Another beautiful veggie option for a summer nibble or starter is our Teifi Halloumi. Cut into slices and fry in a pan until golden and serve with griddled peaches and some of our Very Chilli Jam – divine!

Please don’t forget to look at our recipe page for some summer foodie inspiration, we’re always updating our website with new and exciting recipes which are always easy to prepare and yummy to eat!

Smokey Jo’s Versatile Potato Salad Recipe

Smokey Jo’s Leftover  Frittata Recipe

Try our take on Delia Smith’s delicious Oak Roasted Salmon With Leeks and Mustard recipe using Black Mountains Smokery Oak Roasted Salmon.

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 x 190g Oak Roasted Salmon portions
2 medium leeks, cleaned, halved and sliced thinly
2 heaped tablespoons of crème fraiche
3 tablespoons of dry Vermouth
3 heaped teaspoons wholegrain mustard
a little Welsh Dragon Butter
Seasonal salad or your choice of potatoes, to serve
Halen Môn Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Start off by laying a strip of foil lengthways over a baking tray (it has to be long enough to fold over to cover the Oak Roasted Salmon in a parcel), then lay a second strip across it at right angles.

Butter the surface of the foil lightly then arrange the chopped leeks over it and season them with Halen Môn Sea Salt and pepper.

Arrange the Oak Roasted Salmon pieces on top of the leeks and season them as well. Measure the crème fraiche into a bowl, add the Vermouth then stir in the wholegrain mustard.

Pour this mixture all over the Oak Roasted Salmon and leeks, then bring the ends of the foil together over the Oak Roasted Salmon and squeeze them together to form an airy pocket around all the ingredients.

Place the baking tray in the centre of the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes until the leeks have cooked into the sauce (when opening the foil be careful not to let any of the delicious sauce drain away!).

Serve with a seasonal salad or your choice of potatoes, and enjoy!

Here at the Smokery we practice what we preach, so here’s another hassle-free recipe that will go down a treat. Choose a selection of the ingredients below from our online shop and enjoy…

Ingredients

Smoked Cheddar and Paprika
Honey Mustard Ham
Air-dried Meats
Pink Radishes
Vine Cherry Tomatoes
Pickled Onion Gherkins, Olives and Capers
Jones Kimchi / Fermented Slaws
Celery Stalks and Leaves
Sourdough and Crackers
Chutney / Jellies

If smoked cheddar isn’t your thing we have a wonderful array of Welsh artisan cheese. Head over to our Welsh Cheese & Dairy section to check out the selection.

Instructions

Plain and Simple… Just plonk it all on a big oak platter board, scatter sea salt and pepper, and sit down and eat.

If you’re going to eat this inside, with a knife and fork,  you could serve a slaw or delicious dressed salad as an accompaniment.

Feel free to make it your own and add or substitute ingredients. A great way to use leftovers!

Find  Black Mountains Smokery at an Autumn and Christmas fair or food festival near you. We really cannot wait to be out and about, seeing all of you, our lovely customers again.

We’ll be attending our favourite Autumn and Christmas Fairs around the country this year, taking the all-important Christmas orders, handing out mouth-watering samples and tasters and of course, selling a scrumptious selection of our smoked produce and other delicious goodies.

 

SEPTEMBER

Abergavenny Food Festival.
When: Saturday 17th & Sunday 18th September 2022.
Where: Abergavenny Market Hall, Monmouthshire, NP7 5EH.
Time: Saturday: 9:30am – 6:00pm. Sunday: 9:30am – 5:00pm. Download invitation

OCTOBER

The Hampshire Art Fund
When: Wednesday 5th October 2022
Where: The Grange, Northington, Alresford, SO24 9TZ
Time: 9:30am – 4:00pm. Download invitation

The Daisy Trust Fair, in aid of the Daisy Trust.
When: Monday 10^th October 2022.
Where: The Hurlingham Club, London, SW6 3PR
Time: 9:00am – 5:00pm Download invitation

Dummer Fair, in aid of Treloar’s.
When: Wednesday 12^th & Thursday 13^th October 2022.
Where: Dummer Cricket Centre, Hampshire, RG25 2AR
Time: Wednesday 4:00pm – 9:00pm. Thursday 9:30am – 3:30pm Download invitation

Rockbourne Fair, in aid of The Star Appeal Salisbury District Hospital
When: Wednesday 19th October 2022.
Where: Salisbury Racecourse, Netherhampton Road, SP2 8PN.
Time: Wednesday 10:00 am – 5:30 pm Download invitation

*Please note that we are at Rockbourne Fair on Wednesday 19th only*  

Hungerford Christmas Fair.
When: Friday 29^th & Saturday 30^th October 2022.
Where: Hungerford Town Hall, Berkshire, RG17 0NF
Time: 10:00am – 4:00pm Download invitation

NOVEMBER

Mendip Christmas Fair, in aid The Guild of Friends of The Bristol Royal Hospital for Children and Children’s Hospice South West
When: Saturday 5th & 6th November 2022
Where: Aldwick Estate, BS40 5AL.
Time: TBC

Hanmer Autumn Fayre 2022 , in aid of The League of friends of Rjah Orthopaedic Hospital Gobowen
When: 10th November
Where: Hanmer Church, SY13 3DG (just 5 mins from Whitchurch)
Time: 12:00pm – 7:00pm

Ludlow Racecourse Christmas Fair, in aid of The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust .
When: Tuesday 15^th November 2022
Where: Clive Pavilion, Ludlow Racecourse, Shropshire, SY8 2BT
Time: 10:00am – 4:00pm

Clem’s Christmas Fair (Compton Marbling).
When: Friday 18th & Saturday 19th November 2022
Where: Compton Marbling, Lower Lawn Barns, Fonthill Gifford, Tisbury, Wiltshire, SP3 6SG
Time: 10:00am – 5:00pm

Beaufort Christmas Fair, in aid of Youth Action Wiltshire and Wiltshire Air Ambulance.
When: Tuesday 22nd November 2022
Where: Newnton Dairy Farm, Long Newnton, Wiltshire, SN16 9SR
Time: 9:30am – 8:00pm

Wincanton Christmas Fair, in aid of Children’s Hospice South West.
When: Tuesday 22nd November 2022
Where: Wincanton Racecourse, Wincanton, BA9 8BJ
Time: 10:00am – 4:00pm (TBC) Download invitation

Black Mountains Smokery Tasting Day
When: Saturday 26th November 2022
Where: Black Mountains Smokery, Elvicta Trading Estate, Crickhowell, NP8 1DF
Time: 10:00am – 5:00pm

Presents Galore Christmas Fair, in aid of Cambridge Children’s Hospital
When: Friday 25th, Saturday 26th & Sunday 27th November 2022
Where: Millennium Grandstand, Rowley Mile Racecourse Stands, Newmarket CB8 0TF
Time: Friday 5:30pm – 8:30pm. Saturday 10:00am – 5:00pm. Sunday 10:00am – 4:00pm (TBC)

DECEMBER

City Christmas Fair, in aid of Wellbeing of Women.
When: Monday 5th December 2022
Where: Draper’s Hall, Throgmorton Ave, London EC2N 2DQ
Time: 11:00am – 8:00pm

Christmas Cocktail Event, in aid of Save the Children
When: Tuesday 6th December 2022
Where: Chelsea Old Town Hall, King’s Road, London. SW3 5EE
Time: 11:00am – 8:00pm Download invitation

We look forward to seeing you all again!

We have many serving suggestions and recipes to tickle your fancy but there is one trick for simple satisfaction that is hiding in plain sight… one that our customers might have overlooked!  These quick and easy combinations are perfect pairings for fabulous feasts.

Here at the smokery, we have carefully crafted a range of wonderful preserves and here are just a few ideas for next time you’re in search of the perfect accompaniment to our smoked foods. Our crispy canape shells are fabulous flavour carriers and perfect to prepare in advance.

Look no further for buffets, banquets to finger food. Classic combinations include…

Smoked Salmon and Dill Mustard – Many of you have been enjoying your salmon with a combination of the dill mustard sauce with crème fraiche.

Smoked Chicken and Apple Cider Jelly – Succulent and subtle our smoked chicken makes the perfect companion from goats cheese to apple cider jelly, make the canape your way.

Oak Roast Salmon and Beetroot Chutney – Often overlooked our sweet beetroot chutney is versatile and colourful and not to be forgotten. Perfectly paired with our subtly smoked and succulent oak roast it’s a morish mouthful.

Ham and Cranberry & Fig Chutney – Free range and fabulous this honey mustard ham can be paired or just enjoyed on its own. Serve simply with the classic cranberry & fig chutney or classic Dijon mustard and mayo  … and enjoy!

Smoked Duck and Hedgerow & Port Jelly – Our tender Suffolk Gressingham smoked duck breast is lightly cured and hot-smoked over Welsh oak. The Hedgerow Jelly is rich and festive but not sweet. We’ve done the hard work so all you need to do is assemble it into our canape shells with some creme fraiche or enjoy on dressed salad leaves.  Also delicious served with Very Chilli Jam or Spiced Citrus Jelly.

Smoked Cheddar and Spiced Citrus Jelly – Coated in paprika this colourful and smokey cheese pairs perfectly with our spiced citrus jelly… we’d even go as far to say, they were made for each other.

Welsh Dragon Sausage and Apple Cider Jelly – Our famous Welsh Dragon Sausage is a pork, leek and chilli sausage carefully crafted by our local butcher. Surprisingly, it pairs perfectly with our very own Apple Cider Jelly.

For more delicious combinations explore our canape recipes, simple and perfect for any occasion.

Smoked Chicken, Goat’s Cheese and Spiced Citrus Recipe

Smoked Duck with Hedgerow & Port Jelly Canapé Recipe

Really Welsh Dragon Sausage Canape Recipe

Smoked Salmon with Lemon and Horseradish Cream Canape Recipe

For spectacular centrepieces try one of our Honey Glazed Ham just ready to be sliced, or break large chunks of Oak Roast Salmon and serve with a Dill Mustard Cream.

 

It’s June (already!) and with the summer season well and truly here, it means we have some big days to celebrate… not least, Father’s Day! Here at BMS we’re taking the time to celebrate the Dads within our team. First of the Carthew clan is Jonathan, otherwise known as Smokey, but we also have his lovely son Hugh who is father to a four-legged fox red labrador, Tanga.

June is also the birthday month for the Carthew men. Jonathan is set to celebrate his 61^st birthday this year, he will be blowing out the candles and wishing for early retirement; and Hugh manages to secure the longest day of the year for his 26^th birthday celebrations – the summer solstice on the 21^st.

All these celebrations make the best excuse for some fabulous family feasts, and we could not be more excited! Whether you’re searching for gift ideas for your Dad (or Grandad or father figure) or preparing for a birthday celebration of your own we have lots of hampers on our website that are just right for a special occasion.

Try our special Father’s Day Gift Box Hamper £80 inc P&P

Our hampers range from £50 to £400 so there is something to suit all budgets for Father’s Day at BMS. We have a special Father’s Day Gift Box Hamper and a Father’s Day Platter Hamper alongside a range of hampers under £85 which are sure to bring a smile; whatever your father’s taste, there is a foodie hamper with his name on it. If he’s a lover of fish, try the Little Fish Feast, or perhaps he is more of a carnivore and would prefer our Little Meat Feast hamper – take a look at the full range here.

Maybe your Dad deserves a larger feast and we can cater for that as well! If he’s in need of a real luxury selection then try the Gourmet Deli Hamper or the Gourmet Meat Feast, both containing a flavour adventure we know he will enjoy. Click to see a list of our larger hampers here and see which one he’ll like best!

If you know he will love our products, but you are not sure what his preferences are, we can easily put together a bespoke hamper with a range of products of your choosing! Still too much fuss? Then why not give the gift of choice and purchase a gift voucher. Ready to use on a range of our products and just a phone call away.

And to make an extra special gift why not add a bottle from our range of craft beers and ciders for less than a fiver or splash out on a wonderful Welsh wine, gin or whisky. Or if he has a sweet tooth we have Marsden’s fudge and a range of delicious locally produced chocolates. 

We have carefully crafted a wonderful range of Black Mountains Smokery jellies and chutneys and these make lovely pairings for our smoked fish and meats. Here are a few ideas that would make the perfect foodie gift for a loved one

Welsh Dragon Sausage and Apple Cider Jelly – our famous Welsh Dragon Sausage is a pork, leek and chilli sausage made by our local butchers. They are delicious enjoyed as canapes or nibbles with our very own Apple Cider Jelly, and even better enjoyed with a glass of Apple County’s award-winning Dabinett Cider on the side.

Smoked Duck and Hedgerow & Port Jelly – our tender Suffolk Gressingham smoked duck breast is lightly cured and hot-smoked over Welsh oak. Smokey and indulgent, rich, and festive but not sweet. You can pair it with anything fruity to provide the perfect balance of flavour. Try it with our Hedgerow & Port Jelly – we’ve done the hard work of creating a perfectly balanced accompaniment, so all you need to do is assemble on the plate.

Hot Oak Roasted Smoked Salmon or Cold Smoked Salmon and Beetroot Chutney – many of you have been enjoying your salmon with a combination of dill mustard sauce and crème fraiche, a go-to combination that has become a smokey staple. You may also like to try another, our Sweet Beetroot Chutney! It makes a lovely, vibrant garnish to a canape and a dollop on the side of your plate is the cherry on top for your celebratory meals.

A tribute to Nigel Slater’s easy to assemble Smoked Mackerel & Bacon Salad using Black Mountains Smokery Smoked Mackerel

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the salad –

200g Smoked Streaky Bacon
2 x 180g Smoked Mackerel Fillets
500g small waxy potatoes
1 small sweet red onion
3 tbsp Fino White Balsamic Vinegar
A pinch of Halen Môn Sea Salt

For the dressing –

2 tsp Tracklements Smooth Dijon Mustard
2 tbsp Fino White Balsamic Vinegar
6 tbsp Fino Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 heaped tsp Lilliput capers
4 sprigs of dill
A few cracks of black pepper

Preheat the grill to a medium high heat and line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper.

Peel and finely slice the onion into rings. Put into a small bowl with the Fino White Balsamic Vinegar and set aside for 10 minutes or more to take the sting out of the onion.

Boil the potatoes in salted water for 15 minutes until they are cooked. At the same time, grill the Smoked Streaky Bacon until crisp.

Take the skin off the Smoked Mackerel Fillets and flake into a large bowl. In the meantime make the dressing. Spoon the Dijon Mustard into another bowl. Add the Lilliput Capers to the Dijon Mustard and pour in the Fino White Balsamic Vinegar; add a little pepper and a few glugs of Fino Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Give it a stir.

Chop the dill and add half to the dressing and half to the bowl with the Smoked Mackerel Fillets and then take the softened onions out of the vinegar and add to the dressing.

Drain the potatoes, slice them in half and tip into the dressing to absorb. Mix and then spoon over the flaked Smoked Mackerel Fillets.

Snip little squares of the crisp Smoked Streaky Bacon over the salad and toss it together before serving.

Serve while fresh and enjoy!

Make the most of the warmer weather with this delicious salad. Try our version of  Yotam Ottolenghi’s Hot Smoked Trout with Fennel and Goat’s Cheese recipe using Black Mountains Smokery Hot Smoked Trout.

Serves 4, as a starter

Ingredients

2 x 150g Hot Smoked Trout Fillets
100g Pants Ys Gawn Goat’s Cheese, broken into chunks
75ml Fino Olive Oil, plus extra to finish
A pinch of Halen Môn Sea Salt
150g peas (frozen are fine), blanched for a minute, refreshed and drained
40g baby spinach leaves
1 lemon – juiced and zested
a handful of dill fronds
1 large fennel bulb, trimmed and very thinly shaved
3/4 tsp fennel seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
1 tsp pink peppercorns, crushed (use black if you don’t have pink)

Combine the Fino Olive Oil, lemon juice and dill fronds in a large bowl, add half a teaspoon of Halen Môn Sea Salt, a twist of black pepper and whisk. Add the fennel, stir and leave for about 30 minutes.

In another bowl, add the chunks of Pants Ys Gawn Goat’s Cheese and combine with the fennel seeds, lemon zest and a pinch of Halen Môn Sea Salt.

To serve, add the baby spinach leaves to the large bowl and flake in the Hot Smoked Trout, add the peas and peppercorns. Mix carefully, transfer to a serving dish, dot the Pants Ys Gawn Goat’s Cheese on top and drizzle with Fino Olive Oil.

Serve whilst fresh and enjoy!

A fabulously refreshing Black Mountains Smokery Smoked Cheddar, Fennel & Apple Salad recipe. Lovely for summer days, picnics or even a mid-week quick meal.

Serves 2

Ingredients

For the salad –

100g Smoked Cheddar with Paprika
1 apple, sliced
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
2 spring onions, chopped
6 radishes, thinly sliced

For the dressing –

3 tbsp Natural Yoghurt
2 tbsp Fino Olive Oil
½ red chilli, finely chopped
Handful of fresh coriander or flat-leaf parsley or dill
Juice of half a lemon
Halen Môn Sea Salt and black pepper

Blast the natural yoghurt, Fino Olive Oil, lemon juice and red chilli for the dressing with a hand-held blender until emulsified.

Thinly slice the fennel, apple, spring onions and radishes (or use a mandolin if you have one) and cube the Smoked Cheddar with Paprika. Add the herbs and season the dressing.

Dress the salad, add the cubed Smoked Cheddar with Paprika and fennel fronds and toss.

Serve and enjoy!

A tribute to Tom Kerridge’s Welsh Rarebit recipe with a twist using Black Mountains Smokery Smoked Cheddar with Paprika

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the Rarebit –
300g Smoked Cheddar with Paprika
175ml Sugarloaf Real Ale
100ml Double Cream
1/2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
1/2 tsp Môr Welsh Spice Mix
1/2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 Egg Yolk
40g Breadcrumbs
4 large thick slices of Sourdough

For the Salad –
1 large bag of washed Watercress
1 bunch of Radishes, washed and sliced
1 bunch of Spring Onions, sliced
A handful of chives, chopped
5 Pickled Onions, sliced
1 tbsp Sweet Beetroot Chutney
A drizzle of Fino Olive Oil
A pinch of Halen Môn Sea Salt

In a saucepan over a medium heat, reduce the Sugarloaf Real Ale until it’s thick and resembles a glaze. Add the double cream and reduce by half.

Add the Smoked Cheddar with Paprika and stir until melted. Stir through the egg yolk and the breadcrumbs.

Next, add the Dijon Mustard, Môr Welsh Spice Mix and Worcestershire sauce. Spread the mixture on a sheet of baking parchment, place another sheet on top and roll out till even and flat. Place in the freezer.

When ready to eat, heat the grill.

Remove the rarebit topping from the freezer and cut into pieces that fit the Sourdough slices. Toast the Sourdough slices, place the rarebit on top and grill until browned.

Meanwhile, put the watercress, radishes, onions and chives into a bowl and drizzle with the Fino Olive Oil and a small pinch of Halen Môn Sea Salt. Toss together and serve with the toasted rarebit and for that extra treat serve with our Sweet Beetroot Chutney.

Serve whilst fresh and enjoy!

Of course, we wouldn’t expect you to go through the trouble of cooking your own chicken when you can easily use our Smoked Chicken as a luxurious and fabulously simple substitute. Why not try Smokey Jo’s Coronation Chicken Recipe?

Serves 6

Ingredients

8 x 170g Smoked Chicken Breasts
190ml Cotswold Gold Mayonnaise
1tbsp Fino Olive Oil
95ml Yoghurt
1 small Onion, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp freshly ground garam masala
¼ pint stock – use water and a ¼ stock cube
1 rounded tsp Tomato Puree
2 rounded tbsp gooseberry or apricot jam or sweet chutney
3 tbsp single cream
Fresh lemon juice
Handful chopped Hazelnuts
Plain boiled rice, cold, to serve
Tomatoes, deseeded and quartered
Cucumber, diced
A handful of seedless raisins or fresh diced pineapple, to serve

To prepare the sauce – Heat the Fino Olive Oil in a saucepan, add the onion, cover and fry very gently for 5 minutes until soft.

Stir in the garam masala and cook for a further few minutes to bring out the flavour. Stir in the stock, tomato puree, strained lemon juice and jam or chutney. Stir until boiling, then simmer for 5 minutes.

Draw off the heat and strain the sauce into a basin. Allow to cool, then stir in the Mayonnaise, cream, and yoghurt.

Cut the Smoked Chicken into chunky pieces and arrange in a serving dish. Spoon over the curry mayonnaise and serve with plain boiled cold rice tossed in French dressing with deseeded quartered tomatoes, diced cucumber and a few seedless raisins or diced fresh pineapple added.

Finish with a handful of chopped hazelnuts and enjoy!

For more Coronation Chicken recipes, why not head over to our blog?

The buzz surrounding Hay-On-Wye is only increasing. Later this month Hay is going to be holding two of its renowned events that draw people like your lovely selves from far and wide. So why not find smoked foods at the hay festival this year.

Hay Festival 2022

A brief history…

Hay Festival is one of the worlds leading art and literature festivals, bringing people together to share stories and ideas. From Nobel prize winners and novelists, there is a wide and diverse audience and something for everyone. Dreamt up around a kitchen table, the festival was created in 1987, since then it’s taken off and become a real success. For thirty-five years this event has inspired and educated people, its enormous popularity has meant it has traveled to 30 locations from Columbia to cities in Spain, Mexico, Peru, and the USA. Celebrated for its global reach the Hay Festival has been awarded Spain’s Princess of Austria’s Award in Communication and Humanities in 2020.

This year…

The festival will run from Thursday 23^rd May to Sunday 5^th June and will incorporate live talks, plays, and music. There’s an activity for everyone. For more information on this year’s line-up head over to the Hay Festival Website.

How The Light Gets In 2022

A brief history…

They say words are powerful things, they even have the ability to start a festival. The line from the Leonard Cohen song “There’s a crack in everything… and that’s how the light gets in” is how the festival obtained its quirky name. There are talks by world-leading thinkers, poetry & late-night dancing – there are a plethora of activities to participate in. Started back in 2008 this event happens twice a year, so if you miss out in May don’t worry you get to do it all again in September.

This year…

The festival will run from Thursday 2^nd June to Sunday 5^th June and will incorporate experiences from the inner circle, workshops, and even children’s activities. There is an overlap with the Hay Festival so why not make a week of it and do both. For more information on this year’s line-up head over to the How The Light Get In Website.

BMS Involvement…

Want to get your hands on our produce over these marvelous events? Hay Deli will be serving our very own Smokey Jo’s Smoked Salmon Pate within the festival site, but we’d also recommend visiting their gorgeous delicatessen, situated just off the main high street. They stock a range of our smoked foods, along with a wide range of other artisan produce, sourced both locally and further afield. Check out their wonderful range on their website.

There are a few menu options in and around Hay-on-Wye; If you’re staying at the highly acclaimed Felin Fach Griffin or in the gorgeous Seven Stars B&B you will find our Smoked Salmon in some fantastic dishes. Or, if you’re a pub lover and you’re in need of a smokey fix, why not take a wander to The Old Black Lion?

Or maybe your want to pop into our lovely shop on your way through the choice is yours.

Our lovely smokery shop is situated a grand total of 32 minutes away from Hay, in the equally lovely Crickhowell, so really not that far! If you want to do some exploring but don’t want to wander too far from the festival why not pop down and meet us, there are some lovely walks in between! We’d be delighted to see your lovely faces and supply you with some tempting treats to sustain you.

Try our version of Gordon Ramsay’s fabulous Scrambled Eggs and Smoked Salmon Croissants Recipe with a twist using Black Mountains Smokery Smoked Salmon

Serves 6

Ingredients

300g Smoked Salmon
6 large day-old all-butter croissants
12 large eggs
50g cold Welsh Dragon Butter, diced
4 tbsp double cream
1 tsp Welshman’s Caviar – Seaweed Sprinkle
Halen Môn Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Smoked Dragon Welsh Butter, to finish

Trim the ends of the croissants and slice each one into 4 thick rounds and season lightly with the Halen Môn Sea Salt and black pepper.

Break the eggs into a cold heavy-based non-stick saucepan; do not season. Place the pan over a low heat and add a few knobs of Welsh Dragon Butter. Using a wooden spoon, stir the eggs frequently but not constantly, just to combine the yolks and whites.

As the eggs start to scramble, take the pan off the heat and use a spatula to scrape the egg from the sides and base of the pan. Return to the heat and keep stirring and scraping the pan until the overall texture of the eggs is like soft curds. This should take 5–6 minutes. Don’t overcook the mixture – it should be moist and soft.

Then heat a dry frying pan over a medium heat and toast the croissants on each side until golden. Place the toasted slices on individual warmed plates.

When the eggs are nearing the end of cooking, take the pan off the heat, add a knob of Smoked Dragon Welsh Butter and then season well with Halen Môn Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper. Return to the heat and stir in the cream. Once the butter has melted, remove from the heat.

Spoon the scrambled eggs onto the toasted croissants, sprinkle on the Welshman’s Caviar and drape the slices of Smoked Salmon on top.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

As we reflect upon the 70 years of service Queen Elizabeth has given us, our very own Smokey Jo has been diving back into some personal history in the form of the family cookbook. Peeling through the pages of this beloved heirloom, you get a real sense of why it is so cherished. From the style of handwriting to the paper the recipes are written upon, you can clearly see these were well-loved recipes shared between friends and family. With some on scraps of paper, postcards, or family favourites from recipe books.

 

Jo even managed to find an instruction leaflet from the Second World War on how to make an outdoor stove in case your power goes out. It’s not so relevant for the Jubilee but a great insight into times gone by and a real treasure.

With the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee fast approaching, here at the smokery, we’re thinking of helpful hints and tips to make your holiday fabulous and fuss-free. Nothing says a regal celebration more than the classic coronation chicken! Here is a list of our favourite celebratory coronation chicken recipes. Of course, we wouldn’t expect you to go through the trouble of cooking your own chicken when you can easily use our smoked chicken as a luxurious and fabulously simple substitute.

If you fancy an adventure with a bit of history why not attempt one of these tried and tested recipes this holiday from our home to yours. To add a twist to these classics why not use our smoked chicken in your celebratory coronation chicken recipes?

Coronation Chicken – Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 (3lbs) Oven-Ready Chicken
• 2oz Butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, peeled and chopped 
• 1 tbsp Curry Powder
• ¼ pint stock – use water and a ¼ stock cube
• 1 rounded tsp Tomato Puree
• 2 rounded tbsp gooseberry or apricot jam or sweet chutney
• ½ pint Mayonnaise
• 3 tbsp single cream

Instructions

Wipe the chicken, and place a little of the butter inside. Spread the bird with the remaining butter, cover with buttered paper and place in a roasting tin.

Set in the center of a hot oven (375°F or Gas Mark 5) and roast for 20 minutes per lb. plus 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onion, and cover and fry very gently for 5 minutes until the onion is soft.

Add in the curry powder and cook for a further few minutes to bring out the flavor. Stir in the stock tomato puree, strained lemon juice, and jam or chutney. Mix until boiling, then simmer for 5 minutes.

Draw off the heat and strain the sauce into a basin. Allow to cool, then add in the mayonnaise and cream.

Remove the flesh from the chicken carcass and arrange in a serving dish in chunky pieces. Spoon over the curry mayonnaise and serve with plain boiled cold rice tossed in French dressing with deseeded quartered tomatoes, diced cucumber, and a few seedless raisins or diced fresh pineapple added.

Pru’s bible for that extra decadent element uses lightly whipped double cream for that extra treat.

Smokey Jo Senior always served this with halved green grapes and flaked almonds.

Chicken and Orange in Spiced Mayonnaise – Serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 Small Cooked Chicken
• 5 Orange
• 1 pint home-made Mayonnaise
• 1 Green Pepper
• 1 tsp Curry Powder
• 2 shakes Tabasco
• 1 shake Paprika
• 1 tsp Anchovy Essence

 

Instructions

Remove the chicken meat from the bones and discard the skin. Roughly chop the meat.

Take 4 of the oranges – grate the zest and then remove the peel and pith. Segment. Cut the remaining orange into 8 slices and reserve for garnishing.

Cut the green pepper into slices.

To spice the mayonnaise simply beat in the curry powder, anchovy essence, tabasco and paprika. Now stir in the chopped chicken meat, orange segments and green pepper. Serve chilled, garnished with slices of oranges.

Martha’s Chicken Salad – Serves 6

Ingredients

For Salad:

• 400g Cooked Chicken
• 4 Apples
• 1 Lemon
• 100g Walnuts
• 1 Red Pepper
• 1 Green Pepper
• A little lettuce
• 150g Emmental Cheese

For Sauce:

• 1 yogurt
• 1 soup spoon strong mustard
• 8 soup spoons olive oil
• Vinegar
• Salt and Pepper

 

Instructions

Prepare the dressing. Add the sauce ingredients into a bowl and mix with a hand mixer to emulsify

Roughly chop all the salad ingredients and add to a bowl. Add dressing before serving.

The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee – Perfect Party Food!

This year, Her Majesty The Queen will celebrate the furthest milestone of any British monarch as she becomes the first to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee for her 70 years of service. We are celebrating her historic reign by creating our special Jubilee Hamper to commemorate and cater for the Platinum Jubilee Central Weekend which is from the 2nd to 5th June. What better way to celebrate than with a very British Jubilee party picnic!

The Royal Welsh Jubilee Feast hamper has all the ingredients for a gourmet street feast. Within the luxury wicker hamper is an array of gourmet food, enough to create a Jubilee lunch for family, friends and fellow patriots and to whip up a celebratory supper or two in seconds using deliciously easy-to-prepare produce.

You can find this hamper and a choice of other celebration hampers, each suitable for different tastes and budgets, in our Jubilee Picnic and Party Hampers. You can create your own Jubilee party platter using one of our luxury hampers or send one as a gift so that those you love can create their own street party feast.

Buy Queens Platinum Jubilee Hampers and produce for street parties and picnics

Find everything you need for easy summer entertaining, luxury picnics and party food.  Create delicious, easy-to-prepare platters for sharing with our oak roasted salmon and free-range ham.

Conjure up fabulous party nibbles using our canapé shells with our award-winning smoked foods and carefully curated accompaniments .. not forgetting Smokey Jo’s smoked salmon pâté, which can be served in an instant!

In honour of Nigella Lawson’s simple yet delicious recipe, here’s our seasonal version using Black Mountains Smokery Oak Roasted Salmon, pasta and wild garlic (foraged if you can find it!)

Serves 2

Ingredients

190g Oak Roasted Salmon
250g pasta of choice
1 tablespoon Welsh Dragon Butter
1 tsp grated garlic
1 lemon
1 handful fresh Parmesan cheese

For the pesto (A La Nigella) –

150g wild garlic leaves
150ml Cotswold Gold Rapeseed Oil
50g fresh parmesan, finely grated
1 garlic clove, finely grated
½ lemon, zested and a few squeezes of juice
50g pine nuts, toasted

First of all make the pesto, this can be done up to 2 weeks in advance.

Rinse and roughly chop the wild garlic leaves.

Blitz all the pesto ingredients except the lemon juice to a rough paste in a food processor. Season, and with the motor running slowly, add almost all of the Rapeseed Oil. Taste, season and add a few squeezes of lemon juice. Transfer the pesto to a clean jar and top with the remaining Rapeseed Oil.

Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. While it cooks, flake the Oak Roasted Salmon.

When cooked, drain the pasta, stir in the pesto and a large knob of Welsh Dragon Butter.

Finally, add the Oak Roasted Salmon flakes and mix in gently, serve with a squeeze of lemon juice, on warmed plates and enjoy!

Please place your orders now for gourmet gift hampers for Easter delivery!

Make sure you get your orders in quickly to avoid disappointment. Quickly stock up on some Easter treats for you and your family. Send a gift hamper to your loved ones or stock up their larder and fridge to brighten up their Spring. Easter is almost here! You can order now and select a delivery date closer to Easter weekend. Or stock up early, as almost all of our produce has at least three weeks’ shelf life. It can also be frozen.

We try to fulfil every order in perfect time- even last-minute orders. However, ordering in advance really helps us to plan our production and deliver the freshest produce on your day of choice.

We aim to take LAST ORDERS for delivery before Easter on Friday 8th April – especially if you want to enjoy one of our succulent hams (less than a week away!)

The LAST DELIVERY DATE before Easter is Thursday 14th April (no deliveries on Good Friday as it is a bank holiday).

Fingers crossed for some lovely weather, alfresco feasts, and some much-needed fun and festivity. Our smoked foods are ready to eat (except Smoked Haddock and Bacon) and create simple yet extravagant meals that will complement sunny Spring weather perfectly.

To start you off on Easter Sunday, we recommend Smoked Salmon as the perfect accompaniment to your morning eggs and Easter traditions. For lunch, you cannot go wrong with simple Spring salads with sliced Smoked Duck or Chicken or perhaps flaked Oak Roast Salmon or Smoked Sea Bass on seasonal greens, or homely pasta salads. To have scrumptious, fresh, and healthy meals that make the day all the more opulent and savoury is a delight.

We have not asked our amazing chocolatier Charlotte to make us any special Easter eggs this year, however, we still have the wonderful range she has curated for us that we sell all year round, including Handmade Dark and Milk Chocolate Truffles, Caramel Milk Chocolate With Sea Salt, and Dark Chocolate With Cocoa Nibs! Alternatively, if there is too much chocolate on the menu already, how about some Salted Caramel Sauce warmed and drizzled over pudding for a naughty luxury, or, some handmade Vanilla Fudge that is impossible to keep your hands off!

 

We have created a whole category dedicated to the best Easter Holiday Hampers, including the Little Easter Feast £50 (pictured below). From small gift hampers to large luxury hampers for easy party meals, there is a big selection available.

 

A tribute to Mary Berry’s delicious recipe, here’s our version of Double Salmon Canapés with Horseradish using Black Mountains Smokery produce

Image by Chris Alack via Mary Berry website

Ingredients

200g Smoked Salmon cut in 2cm squares (make sure you have 20)
1 thin soft dough baguette or similar thin baguette about 18cm
2 tbsp Tracklements Horseradish Cream
Fino Olive Oil, for brushing
1 tub mustard cress

Smoked Salmon Pâté

200g Smoked Salmon
50g full-fat cream cheese
50g full-fat crème fraîche
1 tsp Tracklements Horseradish Cream
a dash of Tabasco
1 tbsp lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper

For the crostini, cut the baguette into 20 thin slices and lightly brush each side with Fino Olive Oil. Arrange on a baking sheet and grill for about 2 minutes on each side until golden brown and crisp. Leave aside to cool.

To make the Smoked Salmon pâté, measure the ingredients into a processor, and whiz briefly until just combined.

Spread some pâté onto one half of each crostini – so the top of the crostini is half covered with pâté and half plain. Spread a little Horseradish Cream on the plain half. Take a square of Smoked Salmon and twist it into a little rosette. Sit this on top of the Horseradish Cream.

Snip a few cress leaves and sprinkle a line between the rosette and the pâté and serve.

To prepare ahead – The Canapés can be made and assembled up to 6 hours ahead and kept in the fridge. The crostini can be made and frozen. The pâté can be made ahead and kept in the fridge.

Shortcuts – Use our delicious Canapé Shells instead of making crostini

Furthermore, check out our range of Smoked Fish Pâté make this recipe even easier!

Goat’s Cheese – A firm favourite and perfect pairing for BMS customers

 

Here at BMS, we’re currently a little bit goat’s cheese obsessed. Who can blame us with the likes of Pant-Ys-Gawn Welsh Goat’s cheese made so locally to us! It’s the perfect ingredient to pair with lots of our smoked foods and we can’t get enough of it.

It’s created just 10 minutes away in our local market town Abergavenny, a foodie hub famed for its annual food festival, so you know it’s from good heritage!

The cheese itself is deliciously soft and young and fresh in flavour so don’t be worried about strong ‘goatiness’, it’s mild and has a gorgeous salty and lemony flavour. First handcrafted 40 years ago, it’s still produced with traditional methods using the freshest goat’s milk sourced here in the Brecon Beacons National Park. It really couldn’t be more up our street! The cheese is marvellously versatile in its uses as there is no rind – it can be grilled, crumbled, spread, melted or simply stolen away by the spoonful!

We are celebrating by putting our cheese on bulk buy offer – fresh or frozen.

And if you need any inspiration on how to use it, you can find a link to our favourite recipes below. Although this cheese is very interchangeable with other cheeses or creamy items in your go-to starters and meals.

Smokey Jo’s Leftovers Frittata Recipe

Smoked Chicken, Goat’s Cheese & Spiced Citrus Jelly Recipe

Smoked Salmon, Goat’s Cheese & Wild Garlic Pesto Salad Recipe

Smoked Chicken with Figs, Goat’s Cheese & Walnuts Recipe

We’re often asked if we sell hampers throughout the year and the answer is… of course!

You can always celebrate with a hamper!

Many customers associate gourmet food hampers with Christmas, the time for giving and indulging in festivity with copious amounts of fantastic food to share with loved ones – we couldn’t agree more! However, many of you are realising you don’t need to wait until December to partake in a little spoiling and there are plentiful excuses for treating yourself or others all year round!

Why order hampers?

If you are ever struggling with gift ideas, we would say you can’t go too far wrong with some special food to brighten up the festivity or to simply lift one’s spirits. Birthdays are probably the second most popular reason for ordering, after Christmas. The lucky recipient can stash and gorge away on foodie treats or, perhaps you want them to be able to create a wonderful meal or two for hungry guests. Either way, there is something for everyone.

Yet more and more, we are hearing new reasons for orders, and we thought it would be good to share them for those who are a little stuck for ideas and in need of inspiration. Of course, there are many calendar events; St. Dwynwen’s Day and Valentine’s gifts (or even Galentine’s!), Easter picnics, St. Davids Day feasts and more.  But there are anniversaries, congratulations for Jobs or newborns, housewarmings and house sittings, babysitting and dog minding thank you’s… well, thank you’s for pretty much anything!

Ordering is Easy

We have created a new category on our website, Celebration Hampers, where we will display our most popular all-year-round hampers for special occasions as well as the seasonal hampers we introduce for public holidays. Of course, you can order in advance for delivery on a specific date so there is no excuse for missing the big day! You can order online, but you can also phone us if you find that easier.

If you need any more persuasion to celebrate with a hamper, here’s a little video that was made with the Wales Food & Drink hamper collaboration project to explain a little bit about the BMS way of gifting:

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJm7Terlq-Y

Magical sausages containing the mythical dragon itself or pork with fiery chilli, you decide. We can’t quite believe it has been 15 years since our infamous sausage debacle! Let’s take a look back to 2006…

 

In the early Black Mountains Smokery days our humble smokery had a faithful customer base, but we were not that well known. Yet from what was a routine check-up by a government body, BMS inadvertently got put in the firing line for what we thought was quite harmless, and humorous, reason.

Upon reading through our product list, trading standards took an exception to our Welsh Dragon Sausages – apparently, the name was misleading, and customers would likely be bewildered as to how we could acquire mythical meat for our smoker!

Of course, we thought the whole notion was a little silly and we have full trust that our customers knew what to expect when buying our sausages, especially when the label says ‘made with pork’ just beneath! However, Powys County Council responded by saying  “I don’t think anyone would imagine that dragon meat was being used but we would not want vegetarians to buy the sausages believing they were meat free”. We needed to state the ingredients within the name to meet trading standards in order to not cause mass confusion!

 

The infamous Welsh Dragon Sausage debate was quick to go nationwide when mainstream media outlets picked up the story. There were even big billboards brandishing Dragon Sausage on the side of Gatwick shuttle buses. Jonathan was also interviewed by the one and only Jeremy Vine on Radio 2, where the debate raged on.

Some of the news articles from the time are still available online – have a read if you fancy some light-hearted laughter:

The Telegraph – No dragons were used in the making of these sausages

BBC – Name warning for dragon sausages

Wales Online – Dragon sausage food farce

 

Not wanting to offend, we changed the name straight away to Welsh Dragon Pork Sausages and no harm was done – but we did have an interesting and entertaining journey. And still to this day we are able to say with certainty no dragons were harmed in the making of this product.

The ingredients and the name have remained the same to this day, but who is to say there isn’t a bit of mythical magic that makes them taste so good?

If you fancy tasting some fiery Welsh Dragon PORK Sausages, you can find them on our website, in our shop – or call for an order.

P.S. Dragons come in threes!

     

We are thrilled to announce that our Smoked Duck Breast has been awarded Two Stars (of three) at the Great Taste Awards 2021 – and we are extremely proud. It can now be added alongside our Smoked Salmon and Smoked Chicken that has also won the Great Taste Two Star award over the past two years. Here’s to another year of great smoked products!

We are pitched alongside smoked duck from across the UK and from a large variety of companies and smokehouses. Many are steeped in heritage and provenance, and so to be regarded so highly is a real achievement. The judges taste the products blind (not literally, but all traceability is hidden) and so our beautiful packaging and presentation do not come into question. Only the aroma, flavour, texture, appearance, and overall experience are the discerning factors. Gold stars are therefore only awarded to the most exceptional flavours and textures that create the most well rounded and unanimously appreciated products.

Here is what one group of judges had to say about our delicious Smoked Duck:

“We love the plump and juicy appearance, the flesh appears delicate and pink, along with excellent texture and mouthfeel. The fats are clean and well rendered and have remained tasty and not over smoked. This is a large duck breast that has been very gently smoked so it still retains some pleasing duck aromas. It carves really easily and is soft and yielding. On tasting, the subtle smoke enhances that rich duck flavour and the subtle cure adds delicious seasoning. This is so clever as often smoked duck is just smoke, salt and leather! This is soft, enticing and full of flavour – even the skin is easy to eat. This would be delicious thinly sliced as a starter with a little fresh fig or a fruit compote, or in a salad with warm new potatoes, fresh peas and some bitter leaves. This is a great smoked duck breast.”

Great Taste Award 2021

Not only have we had amazing feedback from the kind judges at the Great Taste Awards, but we have also received some heart-warming reviews from our customers lately.

“Having just eaten your smoked duck, quite simply on a bed of leaves with a segmented orange, I had to contact you to say that it is simply the very best smoked duck we have ever tasted! I appreciate that some may be concerned at the cost, but trust me it is worth every penny and one breast would easily feed 4 – if not 5 as a stunning starter and easily 3 as a main course. Excellent value for money for such an amazingly tasty product. I will certainly be ordering more online, especially with Christmas on its way.”

Michele Bardey, October 2020

Our tender Suffolk Gressingham smoked duck breast is lightly cured and hot-smoked over Welsh oak. It is cooked and ready to eat, rich and sweet yet delicate in flavour. Multi award-winning – it seems many agree it’s the best!

Beautiful, mild-flavoured smoke and rich sweet meat – a real treat. Felicity Cloake, The Guardian

Very thinly sliced, smoked duck makes a perfect starter served on a bed of dressed salad leaves with anything fruity! Try it with fresh orange & walnuts, strawberries & balsamic syrup or pears & pine nuts. Make a great smoked duck Canapé with a little Mascarpone and Apple Cider Jelly or Spiced Citrus Jelly.

Our Peppered Roasted Salmon also received some fabulous feedback after being entered into the Great Taste Awards 2021.

“A lightly smoked salmon, it has succulent flesh. If you get a mouthful of peppercorns there is a burst of heat but the fish is delicious. This flakes nicely, and has a subtle colour. A generously sized fillet, moist and meaty. It looks very appealing, with the even distribution of pepper and the glaze.”

Great Taste Award 2021

A delicious recipe kindly provided by Anna from Jones – Trust your gut, using their Fermented Smokey Cucumber Kraut!

Serves 2

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

200g Oak Roasted Salmon
100g Jones Fermented Smokey Cucumber Kraut
150g Brown Rice
Fino Olive Oil
6 Spring Onions
1 tbsp Miso Paste
1 – 2 Beetroot
1 Avocado
1 tin of Sweetcorn
6 Cherry Tomatoes
2 Eggs
Halen Môn Sea Salt
Basil leaves, to garnish

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.

Drizzle the beets with Fino Olive Oil and a sprinkle of Halen Môn Sea Salt. Wrap in tinfoil and place in the oven for about an hour. Once cooked, peel, allow to cool and then grate the beets. This can be rather messy so my advice would be to wear an apron!

Cook the brown rice, drain and add the miso paste.

Trim the ends of the spring onions and fry whole with a little Fino Olive Oil.

Peel and slice the avocado, cut cherry tomatoes in half and drain the sweetcorn.

Split the miso rice equally between two bowls… then have some fun with your colours!

Arrange the rest of the ingredients beautifully, including the Jones Fermented Smokey Cucumber Kraut, around the bowl and place the Oak Roasted Salmon on top.

Finally, garnish with the basil leaves.

This bowl is packed full of flavour and is extremely versatile, you can swap in and out any of the ingredients – really anything goes!

For a Middle Eastern twist on this recipe, substitute the Miso Paste for our Red Chilli Harissa!

Our beautiful little Black Mountains Deli & Smokery shop is now open for customers and filled to the brim with delicious Welsh artisan produce.

We have all of our favourite smoked goodies of course – meats, fish, cheese, charcuterie. Complimentary condiments such as chutneys, jellies, oils & dressings. Savoury treats like crackers, olives, dips and not forgetting lots of naughty yummy goodies including chocolates, biscuits and ice cream. We have a drinks cellar too with lots of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

Everything that you could want or need for delicious dining whether it be for yourselves, entertaining guests or to give as a gift.

We are located just outside of Crickhowell on the Elvicta Estate (post code: NP8 1DF). You’ll see our flags on the roadside as you approach, just follow the one-way system as you enter the estate, and we are one of the first buildings on the left – you can’t miss us!

The Black Mountains Smokery Shop is now open 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday to Friday & there’s plenty of parking on site. So, if you’re in the area or passing through, do pop by and say hello and see if anything tickles your fancy. We’ve really missed seeing you all.

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

There is nothing I love more than entertaining friends and family at home. Even more so when the sun is shining, and we can enjoy being in the garden.

This weekend we were able to do just that! I thought it was high time to host a BMS lunch – it’s been a crazy old year and things have been go go go at the Smokery and Jonathan & I just wanted to say a huge thanks to our wonderful staff for all their hard work.

It was a swelteringly hot day which meant the less time spent in the kitchen the better! Here at Black Mountains Smokery we like to practice what we preach. So I did just that taking inspiration from our ‘Life Made Easy’ hamper!

Honey and Mustard Glazed Ham – remove the ham from the packaging and carve! Yes, it’s that easy! We like to eat ours with a dollop of Dijon mustard.

Peppered Oak Roast Salmon – you can either break the side up into portions to make it easier for guests to dive in or leave it whole on a plate or platter. Arrange lemon wedges and pea shoots to complete the dish.

Traditionally Smoked Salmon – Arrange the slices on a plate. Squeeze over lemon juice and add cracked black pepper – voilà!

Lunch Recipe Ideas:

Smokey Jo’s Versatile Potato Salad – see recipe here!

Tomato salad – Thinly slice large vine tomatoes, drizzle with Fino olive oil, sprinkle with torn basil leaves, add Halen Môn sea salt and cracked black pepper.

Cucumber salad – Incredibly refreshing on a hot day! Half the cucumber lengthways, scrape out the fleshy middle and slice into half-moons. Drizzle with Fino olive oil.

Bean salad – You can use whichever beans or even pulses you prefer! Yesterday I used peas, broad beans, green beans & mangetout. I added chopped spring onions, lemon juice, Fino olive oil, some herbs from the garden – mint and flat-leaf parsley – and mixed them all together.

Green Salad – pea shoots, rocket & lambs lettuce, but you can switch in whichever leafy greens you like best!

This lunch is quick & easy to prepare and absolutely delicious (if I do say so myself!) especially if you’re hosting lots of people like we were! Everything can be prepared in advance, plated up and left in the fridge until it is time to serve… meaning more time enjoyed with your guests with a glass of something chilled in hand!

Take a look at our Life Made Easy Gift Hamper to recreate your very own alfresco lunch or dinner party or to give it as a gift for a friend or loved one!

We should be going live in the next few weeks, so keep your eyes peeled! We’ve worked so very hard on this project and we are extremely excited to share it all with you. It’s still the same old BMS, and we are always going to be at the end of the telephone to take your orders and answer any queries you might have… we’re just having a bit of a facelift – yipeee!

Ingredients

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

400g Smoked Haddock Fillets
100g Smoked Cheddar with Paprika
250g Celeriac or potato – finely sliced
200ml Milk
1 tbsp Fino Olive Oil
75ml Double cream
1 Small onion – sliced
1 Rosemary sprig – leaves picked and chopped
1 Dried bay leaf
A Pinch of nutmeg
1 Garlic clove – halved
A Pinch of Halen Môn Sea Salt
A sprinkle of Captain Cat’s Môr Seasoning

Preheat the oven to 150°C.

Heat the Fino Olive Oil in a large pan, then soften the onion and rosemary with a pinch of Halen Môn Sea Salt.

Place the Smoked Haddock, skin side down in the pan with the milk, a bay leaf and nutmeg. Gently bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 4 minutes.

Transfer the Smoked Haddock onto a plate, reserving 75ml of poaching liquid. Flake the fish and discard the skin.

Rub a small baking dish with the garlic. Add a layer of the celeriac, followed by a layer of fish and onion mixture; season with black pepper. Repeat until the ingredients are used up, finishing with a layer of celeriac.

In a jug combine the reserved poaching liquid and cream. Pour over the celeriac and scatter with the Smoked Cheddar with Paprika. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and increase the heat to 180°C.

Bake until golden, and finally sprinkle with Captain Cat’s Môr Seasoning.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

Smoked Duck Breast – sliced and cut into slivers  
Redcurrant and Port Jelly
Natural Yogurt or Crème fraîche
Canapé Shells
Pomegranate Seeds

Lay the Canapé Shells onto a serving platter or board.

Spoon in some of the Natural Yogurt or Crème fraîche.

Roll the Smoked Duck slivers into spirals and place on top of the yoghurt (the yoghurt holds the Smoked Duck in place).

Add a small dollop of the Redcurrant and Port Jelly and sprinkle on some of the pomegranate seeds.

Not only will this Smoked Duck Canapé look divine it will have your guests wanting more! Enjoy!

A very wise woman once said, ‘The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach’ And we are very much inclined to agree! So what better way to celebrate your amazing Dad than sending one of our delicious Father’s Day gift hampers?

We’ve got Meaty hampers, Fishy hampers, Cheesy hampers, Boozy hampers all ready and raring to go! All of our produce is freshly prepared and ready to eat so all that needs to be done is to rip off the packet and dive straight it.

Please remember that we are not Amazon (but we are amazing!) so be sure to place your orders in advance to ensure that we can deliver before or on Friday 18^th ready for Father’s Day.

Ordering in advance helps us to plan our production and deliver the freshest produce with the longest possible shelf life.

Food Lovers Gift Box £75

Smoked Meat Gift Box £75

Little Dragon Hamper £49

Little Cwtch Hamper £49

Ingredients

For the cheese sauce –
75g Smoked Cheddar with Paprika – crumbled
25g Welsh Dragon Butter
250ml milk
2 tbsp plain flour

Canape Shells
4 rashers of Smoked Bacon – cooked and diced
Chives – roughly chopped
Edible flowers – if in season

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.

Melt the Welsh Dragon Butter in a large saucepan on a medium heat. Add the flour and milk and start to whisk. Bring the mixture to a boil and keep whisking until the sauce begins to thicken, turn heat down.

Whilst the sauce is thickening, fry the rashers of Smoked Bacon, pat off any excess oil and dice.

Add the Smoked Bacon and the Smoked Cheddar with Paprika to the sauce and give it a good stir.

Lay the Canapé Shells onto baking tray and pour in the cheese sauce. Pop in the oven for 5 -10 mins.

Take out and leave to cool for a minute or two – they will be piping hot!

Sprinkle over the chives and wild garlic flowers and allow your guests to dig in!

 

Recipe Ideas for Smoked Food Party Nibbles

We are all looking forward to this summer and the much-anticipated easing of lockdown with the opportunity to entertain family & friends once again.  We thought we should do a quick post outlining our favourite party nibbles recipe ideas.  Perfect for canapés and bitesize puddings.

Make life easy and whip up the most delicious bites of heaven in just a moment!

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Smoked Bacon & Cheddar Canapes

Smoked Duck with Hedgerow & Port Jelly Canapé Recipe

Smoked Salmon with Lemon and Horseradish Cream Canapé Recipe

Smoked Chicken, Goats Cheese and Spiced Citrus Jelly Canapé Recipe

SWEET TREATS TOO!!

Conjure up some delicious sweet treats with our ever-versatile Canapé shells! A perfect after-dinner nibble!

Mini Banoffee Pies

Spoon some of our Halen Mon Salted Caramel Sauce into the shells, add a slice of banana, top with some whipped cream and garnish with a sprinkling of grated Chocolate, easy peasy!

Mini Chocolate or Lemon Tarts

Simply add chocolate ganache and top with raspberries or orange zest. Add a spoonful of lemon curd and a dusting of icing sugar for a scrummy after-dinner treat!

A fabulously quick and easy canape recipe using our Welsh Dragon Smoked Sausages served with Dijon Mustard cream – ideal for a summer gathering.

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

3 Smoked Welsh Dragon Pork Sausages, sliced on diagonal
2 tbs Cotswold Gold Rapeseed Oil
2 tbls Natural Yoghurt or Crème fraîche
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
Halen Môn Sea Salt and black pepper, to taste
Cane cocktail sticks

Mix the natural yogurt or crème fraiche, Horseradish Cream and lemon zest in a bowl and add Halen Môn Sea Salt and black pepper to taste.

Lay out the Canapé Shells on a serving platter. Add a dollop of the horseradish mixture to the Canapé Shells and place the Smoked Salmon on top – I find it easiest to twist the Smoked Salmon into the cream.

Finish your Smoked Salmon Canapé with a sprinkle of dill and a twist of black pepper – voilà!

Ingredients

200g Traditional Smoked Salmon – sliced
100g Pant-ys-Gawn Welsh Goat’s Cheese – crumbled
Wild Garlic Pesto (if in season) or any other pesto or salsa verde
Salad Leaves
Smoked Seeds

Arrange your salad leaves into a large serving bowl – we used rocket but you can use any of your favourite leaves – and place your slices of Smoked Salmon on top.

Crumble over the Welsh Goat’s Cheese and use a teaspoon to dollop on the pesto. Finish with a sprinkling of the Smoked Seeds.

Our Smoked Salmon Salad recipe is so simple but so delicious! Enjoy!

Our award-winning Smoked Chicken Breast is gently hot-smoked over smouldering Welsh oak. It is succulent with an even smokey flavour throughout.

“Impressive! Really juicy & moist with a well-balanced natural smokiness.” Great Taste Awards 2018

Smoked Chicken is ready to eat and can be eaten straight from the packet. However, the flavour is even better if removed from packaging in good time and served and room temperature. It is also delicious served hot in bakes, risotto, pasta dishes and fajitas.

We have many serving suggestions and recipes to tickle your fancy but there is one trick for simple satisfaction that is hiding in plain sight… one that our customers might have overlooked!

We have created our own range of BMS Preserves. Not only because they are delicious and look beautiful, but because they couple perfectly with our most popular smoked foods. The tell-tale sign is the matching colour circle on the outer packaging, see how good they look together…!

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Our Apple Cider Jelly and Spiced Citrus Jelly were made to compliment the Smoked Chicken, to provide sweet and sharp notes that cut through the smokiness and balance the flavours beautifully.  Smokey Jo has developed and perfected the finest recipes over time. Now our jellies are produced for us in small, hand-stirred batches to make sure they are just right every time.

Whether you are creating canapes, salads, sandwiches or nibbles, this flavour combination will shine through and you will only require simple additions if any; fresh leafy greens such as rocket or baby spinach and a crumble of goat’s cheese, a twist of black pepper or a garnish of fresh basil.

When scrolling through our website look out for flavour couplings to try in your next order. Watch out for future blogs with more pairing inspirations.

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

Half a cucumber
Half a red onion – finely diced
2 tbsp of Cider Vinegar
2 tsp Caster Sugar
150g Pearled Spelt
Small bunch of mint – leaves and stems separated

1 tbsp Olive Oil

2 Smoked Sea Bass
Small bunch of coriander
Juice of half lemon
Halen Mon Sea Salt and Pepper

 

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

2 Smoked Chicken Breast (or 2 Portions Oak Roasted Salmon)
A Selection of baby salad leaves
A selection of hedgerow and woodland leaves and flowers: Primroses, Violets, Wild garlic leaves ( & flowers in early summer), new baby Dandelion leaves, Wood Sorrel (Oxalis) leaves and flowers
Baby asparagus spears – cooked al dente
Fresh garden Chives
Welsh Honey & Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette

Our Smoked Chicken Spring Salad recipe really is just as simple as it looks!

Arrange the seasonal leaves and asparagus around slices of Smoked Chicken or flakes of Oak Roasted Salmon and decorate with the flowers and chives.

Drizzle over the dressing and serve.

Enjoy!

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

170g Smoked Duck Breast
250g Rice (I like to use a mixture of Wild and Red Camargue rice) – cook & cool
150g Kale
2 Fresh Oranges (blood oranges are the best if in season) – peel, de-pith & segmented or sliced
2 Red Onions – peel and cut into wedges
Fino Olive Oil
2 Red Belgian Endives – sliced
Halen Môn Sea Salt and Black Pepper
Fresh Pomegranate Seeds

For the citrus dressing –
4 tbsp Fresh Orange Juice
3 tbsp Fino Olive Oil
1 tbsp White Wine Vinegar
1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
Halen Môn Sea Salt and Black Pepper

Drizzle the onion wedges with Fino Olive Oil and lightly roast or grill, season with Halen Môn Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper and leave to cool.

Remove the skin from the Smoked Duck Breast. Score the skin, lightly season and pop under the grill until crispy and then leave to cool.

Slice the Smoked Duck Breast very thinly and mix all the dressing ingredients together in a jug.

Finally, compile the salad ingredients on a large platter or on individual bowls and drizzle over the dressing before serving.

Serve and enjoy!

Why not add a bottle of something from our Wine Cellar to enjoy with your Smoked Duck and Wild Rice Salad?

 

 Serves 4 – Flying the Colours of Wales

A spicy Welsh take on a traditional Tomato & Mozzarella Salad. Our smoked sausage recipe can be doubled up for lunch alongside a slice of fresh bread!

3 Smoked Welsh Dragon Pork Sausages – Sliced on diagonal
2 Ripe Vine Tomatoes – Sliced
12 Cherry Tomatoes – Halved
Pant ys Gawn Goat’s Cheese
2 Tbls Fino Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbls Fino White Balsamic Vinegar
Flat Leaf Parsley – torn leaves

 Mothering Sunday is fast approaching!

To all the Mothers, Grandmothers, God Mothers, Great Friends, Auntie’s, Sisters, or whoever your motherly figures are – we are celebrating YOU! We also know that today is not an easy day for some, and to those of you, we are sending all our love and best wishes.

If you have not decided on a present yet, or you are stuck for ideas – do not panic!

You could send one of our delicious gourmet hampers to make sure your Mummy has something scrummy to open on 14^th March. Ready to eat and easy to prepare, treat her to a smoked salmon breakfast in bed and a day of relaxation and fabulous food!

Featured here is our Cwtch Comforts Gift Box at £75, it is part of a larger range that we have created so that you can send perfect parcels of joy to your loved ones – follow this link to have a look at our full range of Cwtch & Cariad hampers, ideal Mother’s Day.

You can always call us on 01873 811 566 if you would like to make your box more bespoke. You can also tailor something from scratch if you know her favourite foods and taste. With gifts, we will always take all the pricing off and individually gift wrap the items before laying them on a bed of hamper shred for the complete luxury experience when unboxing! Complete the gift with a handwritten gift message, which will be the first thing she sees when she opens the lid.

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

2 Smoked Trout Fillets, flaked
1 tbsp Fresh Parsley – finely chopped
4 tbsp Breadcrumbs
4 tbsp Grated Parmesan Cheese
6 tbsp Double Cream
3 Medium Tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
Halen Môn Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Sourdough Bread, to serve

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Divide the Smoked Trout flesh between the six cocotte dishes, and season with freshly ground black pepper.

Spoon 1 tbsp of cream over each, cover with a layer of tomato, a sprinkle of parsley, Halen Môn Sea Salt and black pepper.

Top with a mixture of breadcrumbs and parmesan and place in the hot oven for 10 minutes until heated through and turning golden.

Serve this Smoked Trout recipe with chunks of Sourdough Bread.

Enjoy!

This lovely Welsh Smoked Salmon recipe comes from our good friend Sarah Clay, who learned to use laverbread in her cooking from her Mother-in-Law. These blinis are absolutely delicious and not at all scary to make or eat. The Carthews are now laverbread converts!

Serves 6-8, as a starter or canape

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients 

200g Traditional Smoked Salmon, sliced
140ml Milk
100g Self Raising Flour (or a mixture of Self Raising and Buckwheat Flour)
120g Laverbread
1 Egg
120g Cockles (optional)
100g Crème Fraîche
Freshly Cracked Black Pepper, to season
A few sprigs of dill, to decorate

Whisk up the flour, milk, egg and Laverbread for the batter in a mixing bowl and leave to stand for at least 1/2 hour.  Cook on a very hot greased frying pan or similar.

Drop a spoonful of batter into the frying pan and cook till bubbles appear on top of the blini, then flip over and cook the other side.  You can produce drop scone sized pancakes or smaller bitesize ones – it’s up to you!

Slide off and serve warm or cold with a dollop of Crème Fraîche, a piece of Smoked Salmon, a twist of black pepper and a sprig of dill to decorate. The blinis are also lovely with a sprinkle of cockles for an added layer of flavour.

This blini recipe is equally delicious using our Canapé Shells as a base for the Smoked Salmon.

Enjoy!

Happy 25th Anniversary, Black Mountains Smokery!

Jonathan & I started Black Mountains Smokery back in 1996 when we returned to snowy Wales from Botswana, determined not to be dragged back to the city lights with a young family in tow.  Now we’re celebrating 25 years on! With grown-up children, we are still in beautiful Wales producing award-winning, traditional oak smoked salmon, fish, meats & cheese… and we wouldn’t have it any other way!

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts to everyone who has supported Black Mountains Smokery over the years from our wonderful customers to our fabulous team – especially this past year with everything that has gone on. We are so incredibly proud of what we have created, and we hope you continue to enjoy our Smokey Delights for years to come.

 Cwtch & Cariad Hampers – Lockdown Love in a Box

It’s that time of year again! Valentine’s Day is nearly upon us. And what a strange celebration it will be this year, especially with so many separated from their loved ones. Although it’s impossible to whisk your Cariad away for a romantic weekend, or wine and dine them at a fancy restaurant, you can instead treat them to a luxurious evening in with an utterly spoiling Valentine’s Day Food Hamper.

We have curated two very special new lines of hampers, each with the aim of treating your favourite people in these trying times.

Our Cariad Valentine’s hampers for food lovers have something for everyone. Ranging from smaller treat boxes at £45 to more opulent hampers like the Classic Luxury Valentines Gift Selection with Champagne at £95. They include all the classics; Smoked Salmon, Butter Truffles & A Glass to Raise. Fulfill those desires, whether it be for your Valentine, or just somebody you really care about. We’ve named them our ‘cariad’ hampers – the Welsh word for both Love and sweetheart.  We hope that you and your cariad will enjoy them, whether together or apart.

BMS is also introducing our Cwtch Hamper Selections. Ask any Welsh person what a Cwtch is and they will give you a fond smile because a Cwtch is evocative. It’s not a cuddle, a snuggle or a hug… It is something so much better. There really isn’t anything quite like a proper Cwtch.

Since we are not allowed to give our loved ones a Cwtch currently we hope our Cwtch Hampers – filled to the brim with delicious and heart-warming Welsh produce – will make up for the absence. So why not send a ‘Cwtch in a box’ this year to a loved one? To tell them how much you miss them, to celebrate a special occasion, or even just to remind them of home.

Order your Valentine’s Day Food Hamper in advance to ensure on-time delivery.

Meet the BMS Core Team!

Hugh, our son, has recently become a partner in a tent and marquee company yet he’s sweetly balancing his time between two businesses and he has been an integral part of our running.  For a while at the beginning of lockdown, he was practically manning all of our production on his own! He’s a machine when it comes to slicing salmon, and an all-important Mr. Fix-It whenever we need!

 

 

Bea, another of Jo & Jonathan’s surrogate children, has recently decided to take a break from being a Pharmacist in the Big Smoke (our very own NHS hero) and! move back to lovely Wales. She is a seasoned BMS gal having worked at various fairs with Hetta over the years. Lucky for us, we not only managed to draft her in for our crazy Christmas period but hopefully into the New Year as well! She has joined the A-Team in the office and will more often than not be answering the phones to speak to you lovely bunch

 

 

Hugh, our son, has recently become a partner in a tent and marquee company yet he’s sweetly balancing his time between two businesses and he has been an integral part of our running.  For a while at the beginning of lockdown, he was practically manning all of our production on his own! He will rejoin the team full time in November as we get much busier and marquee rental halts for the

 

 

 

Our Daughter Hetta had no plans to work with us this year, in fact, she probably thought she’d graduated from her time at the smokery entirely. Unfortunately, Covid-19 put a hold to her plans for the year and she was drafted in for some much-needed help! She has now been able to start her new venture in finance but she always takes the time to help out from afar, give suggestions, and generally poke her parents in the right direction!

Sadly most of the autumn events we love to support have had to cancel in 2020.  Charities will suffer heavily without their fabulous fundraising fairs and we will miss them too. Many small but beautiful British brands depend heavily on Pre-Christmas events for survival.

Many charity fair committees have created online pop-up events which we are thrilled to support.  These virtual events are working hard to drum up funds for their charities at the same time supporting the small independent businesses that also rely on them.  There are also some new virtual marketplaces created by and for many brilliant little brands that will function all year round.

We have published donation codes for every charity event, valid for a fixed period up to each original event or in line with virtual event dates.  Simply use a specific voucher at online checkout or over the phone and we will donate 10% of your net order value to that charity.  These vouchers cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or discount code.

Please enter the donation code for your chosen charity into the voucher code field in online checkout – or quote it at the start of ordering over the phone.  Please DO NOT put the code in the message box as this makes it impossible to track.

All details are shown below:

Codes only valid for use up to Christmas 2020

We are pitched alongside smoked salmon from across the UK and from a large variety of companies and smokehouses. Many are steeped in heritage and provenance, and so to be regarded so highly is a real achievement. The Judges taste the products blind (not literally, but all traceability is hidden) and so our beautiful packaging and presentation do not come into question. Only the aroma, flavour, texture, appearance, and overall experience are the discerning factors. Gold stars are therefore only awarded to the most exceptional flavours and textures that create the most well rounded and unanimously appreciated products.

 

“Deep salmon pink with a beautiful glossy texture. Complex and pungent smoky aromatics on the nose of heather honey sweetness. Rich and indulgently buttery on the palate, it has a good structure and melts in the mouth with an elegant balance of flavour and a long and satisfying gentle smoke finish. Refined and sophisticated flavours par excellence”

Great Taste Awards 2020

 

“Very neat and fresh looking salmon slices. A lightly smoked and clean aroma. A firm flesh that melted in the mouth, so creamy! A good level of smoke, not overpowering, allowing all the natural fish flavour to come through. The salt level however was very high, unbalancing the product.” 

Great Taste Awards 2020

 

“Generous slices of smoked salmon with gentle smoke on the nose. The salmon just melts in the mouth – buttery, sweet and tasty flesh with gentle back notes of smoked oak. You could eat this just on its own – nothing else needed – just deliciously tasty and perfectly balanced.”

Great Taste Awards 2020

 

Not only have we had amazing feedback from the kind judges at the Great Taste Awards, but we have also received some heart-warming reviews from our customers lately.

 

“The smoked salmon is absolutely outstanding and totally different to supermarket fare. Even our teenagers noticed! And the service is second to none, personal, charming, and very efficient – most impressive, particularly in these difficult times.”

G Magnay

 

We sell our Traditional Oak Smoked Salmon as whole sides that are either sliced or trimmed. Perfect for presenting as the centrepiece for family feasts and placing ribbons of sliced salmon onto your guest’s plates. If there are not as many of you, or you would like a taste or a starter, we also sell sliced packs.

Cooking with smoked salmon is incredibly easy because you don’t need to!

To let the flavour shine, present the salmon at room temperature with salad leaves and a light dressing. Try pairing with Tracklements Dill Sauce let down with cream or yoghurt or this delightful smoked salmon & mozzarella salad. For more recipe ideas, follow this link to see some of our favourites that we have compiled over the years including lots of party foods ideas that use our miracle Canapé Shells.

Traditional Smoked Salmon is cold smoked, but if you’re reading this and wondering why it doesn’t sound familiar to you, you may be more acquainted to our Oak Roasted Salmon. They are both smoked using Welsh oak, but the Oak Roasted salmon is hot smoked in the kiln and therefore cooked through. The resulting effect is very different but is equally special. Soft, succulent and flaky flesh that is rich in both colour and texture and the gentle smokiness is an incredible enhancement of flavour.

 

“I can honestly say the oak roast salmon is the best I have ever had. Utterly delicious and meltingly tender.”

If you are after something a little different, why not try one of our Smoked Fish Pâtés?

Both types of smoked salmon make wonderful pate when let down with cream and with just the right seasoning. The original recipes are Smokey Jo’s. She’s served smoked salmon pate to esteemed guests at fancy drinks parties. And to ravenous (and likely hungover) young adults occupying the family home on sunny weekends. Perfect for so many occasions! The pate became so popular, we can now hardly keep up with demand.

We also need to give an honourable mention to our Smoked Gressingham Duck Breast, which we also entered into the Great Taste Awards 2020.

Sadly it did not take home a gold star as it has done many times in the past. We did, however, receive some truly lovely feedback that we thought should be shared:

“This neat looking breast has been beautifully prepped and has a glossy juicy looking skin and tender pink flesh. There is an enticing sweet, smoky, woody aroma. The meat melts in the mouth and is moist and delicate. There is a great balance of sweetness and minerality from the meat as well as some herby savoury notes. The Smoke is just right adding a warm woody classiness but with no acid notes. With a generous touch of salt to enhance flavour, this is a delightful expertly executed product.”

Great Taste Award 2020

 

Our Smoked Salmon and Mozzarella recipe is light, fresh and delicious – perfect for a dinner party

Serves 4, as a starter

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

200g Smoked Salmon, sliced
1 large bag of fresh salad leaves
200g baby mozzarella balls

For the dressing –
1 Spring Onions, trimmed and chopped
1 handful rocket
100ml Fino Olive Oil
20ml White Wine Vinegar
2 cloves garlic
Halen Môn Sea Salt and black pepper

Sadly all the autumn events we love to support have had to cancel.  Charities will suffer heavily without their fabulous fundraising fairs and we will miss them too. Many small but beautiful British brands depend heavily on Pre-Christmas events for survival. 

Many charity fair committees have created online pop-up events which we are thrilled to support.  These virtual events are working hard to drum up funds for their charities at the same time supporting the small independent businesses that also rely on them.  There are also some new virtual marketplaces created by and for many brilliant little brands that will function all year round.

We have published donation codes for every charity event, valid for a fixed period up to each original event or in line with virtual event dates.  Simply use a specific voucher at online checkout or over the phone and we will donate 10% of your net order value to that charity.  These vouchers cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or discount code.

Please enter the donation code for your chosen charity into the voucher code field in online checkout – or quote it at the start of ordering over the phone.  Please DO NOT put the code in the message box and this makes it impossible to track.

All details are shown below:

Ingredients

1 Smoked Duck Breast, cut into slivers
1 Bag of Watercress, or your favourite Salad leaves
1 Blood orange
2cm preserved stem ginger
1 tbsp syrup from jar of stem ginger
4 spring onions
1 red onion
1 red chilli
1 handful of fennel
1 lemon
1 lime
Fino Olive Oil

Take the stem ginger and syrup and stir this into the zest and juice of the blood orange, lemon and lime. Blitz in a food processor and pour in about 2/3 the quantity of the Fino Olive Oil.

Add the finely chopped chilli and spring onions.

Mix together the salad leaves, slivers of Smoked Duck, orange, red onion and fennel. Coat with dressing and, if needed, add a little more lemon.

Serve decoratively and enjoy!

Are any autumn and Christmas fairs going ahead this year?

Every autumn, the BMS team prepares for a bustling calendar filled with charity events and food fairs all over the UK. Last year we did nearly 40!

Sadly this year we will be lucky if one event goes ahead. Very many of the events we love to support have been forced to cancel already due to social distancing and the risk of late cancellation should another lockdown be imposed.  This means that charities will suffer heavily without their fabulous fundraising fairs where often many thousands of pounds are raised. It is such a terrible shame they will not see the same benefits this year.  Lots of those charities and fairs have set up alternative online initiatives to help raise money. But they will surely miss seeing all the lovely customers face to face, and we will miss them too!

To help do our bit, we have worked alongside the incredible charity fair committees to produce unique donation codes for each event.

These are valid for a fixed period up to or around each event date.  Simply use a specific voucher at online checkout or over the phone. We will donate 10% of your net order value to that charity. (These vouchers cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or discount code).

We hope that this will keep us connected with the familiar faces we will so miss this year whilst also supporting many amazing causes.

Our Smoked Chicken and Welsh Goat’s Cheese recipe is really simple and quick – perfect for a light lunch with friends

Serves 6, as a light lunch or 8, as a starter

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

4 Smoked Chicken Breasts
100g Pant-Ys-Gawn Welsh Goat’s Cheese, crumbled 
6 Figs
Green salad – peppery rocket and watercress is perfect
18 – 20 Charlotte potatoes
2 Red Onions, peeled and cut into wedges
Apple Cider Jelly
Walnut halves
Fino Olive Oil
Halen Môn Sea Salt

Drizzle the onion wedges, and potatoes with Fino Olive Oil and roast until tender. Season with Halen Môn Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper and add the figs for 10 more minutes.

Meanwhile thinly slice the Smoked Chicken Breasts and quarter the figs.

Arrange the roasted vegetables, Smoked Chicken, Welsh Goat’s Cheese and figs on a large platter so that everyone can help themselves or arrange into individual bowls.

Serve the Apple Cider Jelly on the side with the dressed green salad.

If you are short of time, serve simply with fresh Sourdough bread instead of potatoes.

Enjoy!

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

100g Smoked Salmon, sliced
12 eggs
100g Smoked Pwll Mawr Cheddar, thinly sliced
4 tsp Dill Sauce
10 flour tortillas (8 inches)
50g red onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp milk
2 tbsp Fino Olive Oil
½ tsp Halen Môn Sea Salt

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, Dill Sauce and Halen Môn Sea Salt.

Coat a pan with Fino Olive Oil and place over a medium heat. Add the egg mixture and stir until eggs are cooked.

Spoon the egg mixture into each tortilla and add the Smoked Salmon, Smoked Pwll Mawr Cheddar and onion.

Fold opposite sides of the tortilla over filling (sides will not meet in centre). Roll up the tortilla, beginning at one of the open ends.

Place the wraps, seam side down in a baking tray with Fino Olive Oil.

Cover and bake until the Smoked Pwll Mawr Cheddar is melted.

Serve and enjoy!

Ingredients

170g Smoked Duck Breast, thinly sliced
1 large handful cherries, pitted and roughly chopped
2  head crisp Little Gem lettuce
4 tbsp Fino Olive Oil
2 tsp red wine vinegar
3 tsp Dijon Mustard
½ shallot, finely minced
Halen Môn Sea Salt and Freshly ground black pepper

This delicious recipe from the Doyenne of Baking can be made ahead and so, is the perfect preparation for family days out. It freezes beautifully – but if you’d like to freeze it, we recommend that you don’t add the eggs!

Serves 6-8

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

350g Smoked Haddock Fillet, skinned
350g Haddock Fillet, skinned
1kg potatoes, peeled, cut into even sized pieces
2 leeks, sliced
600ml hot milk
150ml cold milk
75g Smoked Pwll Mawr Cheddar, grated
50g Welsh Dragon Butter
50g flour
3 hardboiled eggs, roughly chopped
2 heaped tablespoons grainy mustard
juice of ½ a lemon
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
Halen Môn Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

3 rashers Smoked Back Bacon, or 6 rashers of Smoked Streaky Bacon
3 Welsh Dragon Sausages
300g quality cooked brisket, or other cooked meat
70g Salami, skin removed
1kg potatoes, scrubbed clean
4 quail eggs
2 small onions, peeled
3 large carrots, quartered
1 jar dill pickles, to serve
A few sprigs fresh rosemary and thyme, leaves picked
Halen Môn Sea Salt and black pepper

Dressing –
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 tbsp good-quality Organic Cider Vinegar
3 tbsp Fino Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 small handful fresh chives, finely chopped
1 small handful fresh dill, roughly chopped
1 small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked 

Begin by heating a large, shallow pan on a medium heat.

Cut the Smoked Bacon into small pieces and fry for 2 to 3 minutes so that the fat starts to render out. Cut up the Welsh Dragon Sausages and any other smoked meat or leftovers of your choosing, and add to the pan as you go.

Do the same with the onions, carrots, potatoes and herbs. Keep stirring to make sure nothing catches and season with a pinch of Halen Môn Sea Salt and a good pinch of black pepper if necessary. Cook for about 20 minutes.

Make your dressing by putting all the dressing ingredients into a jar (reserving the dill flowers if you have them), shake and pour into the pan.

Carefully separate the egg whites from their yolks and put them to one side.

Divide your Pytt y Panna between plates and create a well in the top and add a yolk to each one. Load up a side plate with dill pickles, and roughly chop your dill flowers and scatter them over.

This Pytt y Panna recipe is a wonderful and beautiful dish to share with friends and family – enjoy!

 

The Black Mountains Smokery team has a core staff of just 6 for most of the year, the team then doubles (or even triples!) in our busy autumn months. Now BMS has its very own Lockdown Team!

 

Here is an introduction to our current BMS Lockdown team:

 

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

2 Smoked Trout fillets
65g tin Cockles, drained well
2 Large potatoes, boiled & mashed
2 Eggs
1 Eating apple
White Wine Vinegar
1 tbsp Parsley, chopped
2 tsp Fino Olive Oil
Halen Môn Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Peel the potatoes and then boil them, once they are cooked drain and mash the potatoes. While the potatoes are cooking, peel and grate the apple.

When your mash is ready, stir the grated apple and Cockles into the mash and season with Halen Môn Sea Salt and black pepper. Shape this mixture into two small flat patties.

Fry patties with the Fino Olive Oil until golden brown on both sides. Put patties in oven at 220°C for 5-6 minutes to finish cooking.

In the meantime, place a pan of water with a splash of white wine vinegar and Halen Môn Sea Salt on the heat and bring to a gentle simmer.

When simmering, gently break the eggs into the water without breaking the yolks. Let the eggs cook for a couple of minutes till they turn white and are no longer rubbery, using a slotted spoon remove them from the water.

Place potato cake in the centre of the plate, top with Smoked Trout fillets and poached egg.

Serve and enjoy!

The Smoked Trout fillets can be substituted with Smoked Salmon or Smoked Bacon for this Smoked Trout Patties recipe.

1 Smoked Chicken Breast
1 Medium tomato, chopped
1/2 Small avocado, diced
1/2 Small red onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp Red wine vinegar
1 tsp Fino Olive Oil
1 tbsp Flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Halen Môn Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

300g Smoked Trout Fillets
600ml Single cream
500ml Chicken stock
80g Smoked Cheddar with Paprika, grated
65ml White wine
425g tin Sweet corn, drained
4 cloves Garlic, minced
2 Potatoes, peeled and diced
2 tbsp Welsh Dragon Butter
1 tsp Parsley
2 stalks Celery, chopped
1 medium Onion, chopped
¼ tsp Halen Môn Sea Salt
¼ tsp Black Pepper
Sourdough bread, to serve

Melt the Welsh Dragon Butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the celery and onion, sauté until onion is translucent.

Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, then add the chicken stock, parsley, Halen Môn Sea Salt and black pepper and bring to boil.

Reduce the heat, place lid on and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Strain completely, add the diced potatoes, and cook for 10 minutes until tender. Add the cream and Smoked Trout. Gently simmer for 15-20mins, stirring often.

Add the white wine and sweetcorn, and cook for a further 2 minutes.

We are DELIGHTED to announce that we now have an alcohol license which means our hampers just got EVEN more irresistible! You can now order drinks online at BMS.

We will be proudly stocking our Drinks Cellar & Bar with …

• Glanusk Estate Gin & Whisky
• Barti Rum
• White Castle Vineyard Wines
• Champagne
• Halen Mon Gin
• Apple County Cider
• Raglan Untapped Brewing Co Beers, (IPA, Pale Ale & Bitter)

… and for those on the soft drinks we have our:

• Our Welsh Farmhouse Apple Juice which is made on the side of Sugarloaf, as local and tasty as it gets!

All are sourced from wonderful Welsh suppliers and after some very thorough sampling of the products, we can say with absolute confidence, that you are in for a treat!

Order our alcoholic and soft drinks online at BMS now. Shop our drinks range here.

CHEERS! 

Summer Salad recipes for Sizzling Summer Days!

It’s only the beginning of June and some may be fooled into thinking they’ve woken up in the Med! Quarantined at home, glorious sunshine day after day and lovely long evenings has certainly made lockdown a lot more bearable for all at BMS and we hope for you too.

Mother Nature is certainly showing off in the Black Mountains with fledgling birds braving their first flights, cow parsley and foxglove lining the lanes and the Welsh population showing off sun tans never seen before in this formerly rainy pocket of the UK.

With many ‘work from home’ lunch breaks now taking place in the garden, we wanted to share a few of our favourite smoked chicken lunchtime recipes, for these beautiful summer days. Light, healthy, and deliciously easy lunches for you to enjoy…

 

CHICKANGO SALAD (CHICKEN & MANGO)

This is refreshing, light and frankly just plain YUMMY!

• Simply combine cubed mango (fresh or frozen) with our sliced smoked chicken breast. Finely chop coriander and stir in.
• Dress with olive oil and some Fino White Balsamic
• Decorate with edible flowers from the garden
• And enjoy!

 

SMOKED CHICKEN WRAPS

The most moreish and easy lunch, always a hit with children, (chilli content dependent) and perfect for a quick bite or a picnic!

• Using either homemade flat breads (recipe here) or simply the bog-standard supermarket wraps (equally as good!), spread Philadelphia cheese and some of our Tracklements Chilli Jam onto the base.
• Add a handful of salad/rocket leaves (plus any additional veggies you fancy)
• Top with sliced Smoked Chicken (also scrumptious with our smoked duck!)
• Roll up and tuck in!

 

SMOKED CHICKEN CAESAR SALAD

An easy take on the classic with a smokey twist – see recipe here

 

SMOKED CHICKEN PESTO PASTA SALAD

This one is a fridge staple, serve it hot or cold – it’s always a hit!

See recipe here

SMOKED CHICKEN WITH FIGS, GOATS CHEESE & WALNUTS

This is one for the books, both a tasty lunch and also a simple entertaining show-stopper! Have a practice during lockdown and get ready to wow your guests when they’re eventually allowed to come over!

Recipe here

 

SMOKED CHICKEN & BROCCOLI BAKE

This is a hearty option for hungry tummies or a filling supper. Quick & easy enough for the most amateur of chefs!

Recipe here

SMOKED CHICKEN, AVO & MANGO SALAD

Refreshing and light with a bite of chilli this is a classic lunchtime dish.

Recipe here

 

We hope you enjoy these summer salad recipes. Please take photos and share your creations with us either by email or social media – we love to see them!

We attend food fairs and festivals around the country, taking orders, handing out samples and selling delicious selections of Welsh produce. We love meeting our customers face to face!

Sadly this year (2020) very many of the events we love to support have been cancelled due to social distancing and the risk of late cancellation should another lockdown be imposed.  Charities will suffer heavily without their fabulous fundraising fairs and we will miss them too. 

We have produced donation codes for each event, valid for a fixed period up to or around each event date.  Simply use a specific voucher at online checkout or over the phone and we will donate 10% of your net order value to that charity.  These vouchers cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or discount code.

Please enter the donation code for your chosen charity into the voucher code field in online checkout – or quote it at the start of ordering over the phone.  Please DO NOT put the code in the message box and this makes it impossible to track.

You will notice that some charities are arranging their own virtual events which we are also supporting.  These virtual events are working hard to drum up funds for their charities whilst supporting the small independent businesses that rely so heavily on Pre- Christmas events to survive. Three of the larger events are still going ahead.

All details are shown below.

Makes 30 pancakes

Combine sifted flour with baking soda and baking powder, for a more traditional blini substitute half of the flour for buckwheat flour. In a separate bowl, lightly beat egg and laverbread and add milk & season.

Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and pour in egg and milk. Stir with a whisk until smooth and thick.

Spoon a tablespoon of mixture into a hot, lightly greased (I use rapeseed oil and then wipe nearly clean with kitchen towel), non-stick frying pan.

Cook over a medium heat for 3 minutes, until bubbles appear on the surface. Turn and cook for 1 minute. Repeat with remaining batter and set aside to cool completely.

Combine sour cream, mustard and horseradish. Stir in chives and season with pepper. Spoon onto cooled pancakes and top with slices of Smoked Salmon. Garnish with extra chives and cockles to serve.

For more uses for baking soda, click here.

Delicious flavour and perfect for a main course

Serves 2

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

Preheat oven to 180°C.

For the sauce – combine the plums, sugar, star anise and water in a pan, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat to high and leave to bubble until thickened.

Using a sharp knife, score the skin of the Smoked Duck Breasts and season. In a frying pan, cook the Smoked Duck skin down over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Turn the breasts over and transfer the pan to the oven. Continue cooking for 10 minutes, remove from the oven and leave to rest before thickly slicing.

Meanwhile, heat the sesame oil in a wok. Add the chilli and ginger, cook for 1 minute, add the noodles, soy and lime juice. Stir-fry for 1 minute, then add the pak choi. Cook until wilted.

Top the noodles with the sliced Smoked Duck Breasts, spoon over the plum sauce and scatter with spring onions.

Enjoy!

 

Happy Customers,

Happy Smokery Team,

Happy Easter!

In times like these, we are delighted to be receiving such wonderful customer feedback at Black Mountains Smokery.

When headlines fill us with horror and many are suffering from loneliness, separation from family and symptoms of this horrid virus, it’s the little things that get us through. With the sun shining, daffodils blooming and baby lambs in the fields around Crickhowell we are surrounded by reminders that all is not lost, and it has made us more grateful than ever that we live in such a beautiful place.  It seems our parcels are just one of these little things, bringing some much-needed joy to your homes and we are delighted to hear such wonderful positive feedback from you.

Here are just a few of the lovely messages we have received from you which have encouraged our greatly depleted team to continue packing and keep smiling!

 

 

 

 

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Smoked Salmon on granary bread with a twist of lemon & black pepper.

Smoked Chicken croustade with fresh mango and a drop of Sweet Chilli Jam or Apple Cider Jelly.

Smoked Duck with Hedgerow & Port Jelly in a Canapé Shell.

Welsh Dragon Sausage with Horseradish Cream.

Smoked Duck and Smoked Chicken skewers with fresh seasonal berries, we recommend mango and raspberry.

Oak Roasted Salmon blini with a Dill Mustard Sauce, let down with some Crème Fraiche, and Sweet Beetroot Chutney.

Our Smoked Trout Potato Salad Recipe is perfect for lunch or as a light supper

Serves 4

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

300g Hot Smoked Trout
800g Blas Y Tir Pembrokeshire Earlies or other new potatoes
2 tbsp Crème fraiche
Horseradish Cream, to taste
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 Red onion, very finely sliced
1 Small bunch fresh parsley – roughly chopped
1 Punnet salad cress
Halen Môn Sea Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Boil the potatoes until cooked, and drain thoroughly.

In a bowl, mix the crème fraîche with the lemon zest and juice. Add the Horseradish Cream with caution – depending on how zingy you like it and how many children are present!

Add the potatoes, onion, parsley, then snip your cress into the bowl. Season with Halen Môn Sea Salt and black pepper and mix.

Flake the Smoked Trout over the top to serve.

Equally delicious served with Smoked Sea Bass or Smoked Mackerel.

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

 

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

100g Smoked Salmon
Canapé Shells
50ml Crème fraiche
4 Quail eggs
2 tsp Dill Sauce
A pinch of Halen Môn Sea Salt
A twist of black pepper or Welshman’s Caviar

Smokey Salmon Superfood & the amazing benefits of a Fish Rich Diet!

 

Breakfast – Smoked Salmon Superfood Omelette

Lunch – Oak Roasted Salmon Rudolph Potato Jackets

Supper – Smoked Haddock & Leek Risotto Recipe

WISHING YOU A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Look no further than our gourmet gifts & hampers for the perfect present all year round!

Food is a great gift for anyone who needs no more clutter. It’s a great gift for men and a gift that never goes to waste. Our whole range is freshly produced and suitable for freezing if necessary.

We offer gourmet hampers, smoked food subscriptions and gift vouchers to suit every budget and appetite all year around.

Our gourmet gifts & hampers start from £49 including delivery or you could send a simple 200g pack of our delicious award-winning Smoked Salmon in a smart sleeve. Our luxury wicker hampers are full of fine food and delicious accompaniments, all sourced from like-minded, award-winning small producers, with no fillers. Hamper selections range from £50 – £450.

Gifts can be ordered in advance for delivery on your preferred date as far ahead as is helpful. Simply click on the calendar in the online checkout to select the delivery date.

For further information please browse our website or simply give us a ring on 01873 811566

A Black Mountains Smokery Smoked Salmon Pate Recipe inspired by Paul Hollywood

Serves 4-6

 

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

200g Smoked Salmon
100g Cream Cheese
100g Crème Fraiche
1 tbsp Horseradish Cream
2 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
juice of half a lemon
Caper berries, to serve

Firstly, place all ingredients, bar the capers into a food processor. Pulse until a pâté forms. It should still have some texture to it and not be a purée.

Taste to check the seasoning and adjust accordingly. It may also need more lemon juice.

Serve with sliced Sourdough bread and caper berries – enjoy.

This Smoked Salmon Pâté is also excellent dolloped onto Canapé Shells or spread onto crackers.

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

170g Smoked Salmon Trimmings, three-quarters chopped
350g Risotto rice
1½ Litres of vegetable stock
85g Mascarpone
1 Onion, finely chopped
3 tbsp Parsley, chopped
2 tbsp Fino Olive Oil
1 Garlic clove, finely chopped
Grated lemon zest and juice
Black pepper

Ingredients

200g Oak Roasted Salmon
150g Feta Cheese, cubed
6 Eggs
100g  Mangetout
2 Spring Onions, coarsely sliced
3 large handfuls Spinach
1 tbsp Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped
1 Red Chilli, chopped (optional)
Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
1 tbsp Fino Olive Oil
Halen Môn Sea Salt and Black Pepper

Our Smoked Trout Salad Recipe is a great, light Lunch!

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 Smoked Trout Fillets, flaked
500g Broad beans or peas
350g Penne pasta
100g Black olives, chopped
4 tbsp Fino Olive Oil
2 Lemons, zest and juice
1 Handful fresh parsley, chopped
1 Sprinkle fresh dill, chopped
Halen Môn Sea Salt and black pepper, to taste

Boil the broad beans for 3-5 minutes, until they float to the surface. Remove and drain the beans, and run under cold water (this will help them to keep their colour).

Cook the pasta and pour into a large mixing bowl – drizzle with Fino Olive Oil. Add half of the broad beans to the bowl and mix well. Double-pod the remaining broad beans so they are sweeter and set aside.

Add the lemon juice and zest, olives, parsley, dill and flaked Smoked Trout Fillets to the pasta. Season to taste and toss well to combine. Scatter over the double-podded broad beans.

Serve with plenty of seasoning and enjoy!

Smoked Haddock Recipe inspired by Mary Berry – A wonderful robust soup, perfect served with crusty bread

Serves 4-6

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

500g undyed Smoked Haddock, skinned and cut into bite sized pieces
600ml hot fish or vegetable stock
600 ml full-fat milk
250g potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
50g Welsh Salted Dragon Butter
40g plain flour
1 leek, washed and thinly sliced
1 stick celery, cut into 1cm pieces
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped into 1cm cubes
Small bunch of fresh dill, chopped
Halen Môn Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the Welsh Salted Dragon Butter in a large pan.

Add the leek, celery and carrot and fry for a minute or two. Add potatoes and toss.

Sprinkle over the flour, cook for a few moments, blend in the stock while stirring over gentle heat and allow to thicken. Season with black pepper (no salt at this stage). Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Add the Smoked Haddock and milk to the pan and simmer gently for about 5 minutes until fish is just cooked.

Check the seasoning and add Halen Môn Sea Salt to taste and the dill.

Serve and enjoy!

Ingredients

Our Smoked Chicken Salad Recipe with Avocado, Mango and Lime is a delicious Summer dish

Serves 4

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

2 Smoked Chicken Breasts, sliced
1 Ripe mango, sliced
1 Firm avocado, sliced
1 lime, cut into wedges
4 Handfuls of mesclun leaves
1 small handful of fennel
1 tbsp Fino Olive Oil
1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
Twist of black pepper
Pinch of Halen Môn Sea Salt

Whisk the Fino Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar, Halen Môn Sea Salt and black pepper together to make the dressing.

Add the mango, mesclun, fennel and the Smoked Chicken to a big bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss the salad to ensure the dressing covers all the salad. Garnish with slices of lime.

Enjoy!

This Smoked Chicken Salad Recipe would also be delicious with a Welsh Honey and Dijon Mustard dressing.

We found this Jamie Oliver recipe on the ‘The Quirk and the Cool’ blog. It’s a wonderful quick and easy meal that looks stunning and tastes even better.

Serves 4

Ingredients

Yorkshire Pudding –

200g Traditional Smoked Salmon
150ml Semi-skimmed milk
65g Plain flour
2 Large eggs
2 or 3 Sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 tbsp Fino Olive Oil

Beetroot & Asparagus Salad –

250g Cooked beetroot
1 Bunch of asparagus
2 Punnets of cress
1 Heaped tsp Welsh Honey
2 Sprigs of fresh basil
Half of a lemon, juiced
4 tbsp Fino Balsamic Vinegar
Freshly cracked black pepper
A sprinkle of Halen Môn Sea Salt

Dressing –

3 Heaped tbsp natural yoghurt
2 Heaped tbsp Strong Horseradish Cream
1 lemon, juiced

Pour the Fino Olive Oil into a large, ovenproof frying pan and pick in the rosemary leaves on high heat.

Crack the eggs into a bowl, add the milk and flour, then whisk until smooth. Spread out the rosemary in the frying pan, then pour in the batter, let it fry for 30 seconds, then pop into the oven and close the door until golden (roughly 13 minutes).

Trim the asparagus and put dry on the hot griddle pan, turning until nicely charred on all sides.

Slice the beetroot and place in saucepan over medium heat with the Fino Balsamic Vinegar and Welsh Honey. Stir regularly and remove from the heat when sticky.

Mix the yoghurt and Horseradish Cream in a bowl, then season to taste with Halen Môn Sea Salt, black pepper and lemon juice. Snip over the cress on to a nice serving board, and spoon the beetroot on top, then pick over the basil leaves.

Shake the asparagus with a squeeze of lemon juice, Halen Môn Sea Salt and black pepper, and immediately pile on the board.

Once the Yorkshire pudding is puffed up and golden, remove from the oven and place it onto the board. Roll the Smoked Salmon slices into roses and place on top.

Serve straight away with lemon wedges on the side – enjoy!

Lara’s scrumptious take on kedgeree, ideal for lunch served with steamed broccoli and sautéed spring greens

Our huge thanks to Lara at www.lunalarder.com for her wonderful recipe and photographs

Serves 6

 

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

350g Smoked Haddock or Smoked Trout Fillets, to save cooking time
12 quail eggs, boiled for 3 mins and peeled
400g whole spelt, well rinsed
200g peas, blanched
3 spring onions, chopped
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 bunch of parsley (keep a little back to decorate)
1 bunch of dill
1 tbsp Curry powder
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
Halen Môn Sea Salt & Black Pepper
Fino Extra Virgin Olive Oil

 Pour the spelt into a large pot with 1 tsp curry powder and ½ tsp turmeric powder. Coat evenly, using a wooden spoon to stir. Cover with boiling water and simmer for approx 45 minutes or until tender. Strain.

 Fill a separate pan with water, add 1 tsp turmeric powder and bay leaf, bring to boil. Add the Smoked Haddock and simmer for 4 minutes.

Remove from water and allow to cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, flake the Smoked Haddock into a bowl, discard the skin and set aside.

If using Smoked Trout, then simply flake and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine the spelt with the peas, chopped parsley, dill, spring onion, lemon zest and half of the lemon juice with 1 tbsp Fino Olive Oil.

Carefully add the Smoked Haddock and season to taste with Halen Môn Sea Salt and black pepper. Arrange decoratively in a serving bowl.

 Halve the quail eggs and crack black pepper over the top. Place into the serving bowl along with the remainder of the roughly torn parsley and a few drizzles of lemon juice.

Serve hot and enjoy!

Smoked Seeds Salad Recipe with Turkey and a warm clementine dressing inspired by Jamie Oliver

We found this wonderful recipe on the Jamie Oliver website

Serves 4

Ingredients

800g Oak Roasted Salmon, broken into chunks
8 Medium eggs
1kg Spinach, washed and destalked
450ml Double cream
60g Welsh Salted Dragon Butter
2 tbsp Chopped dill
Halen Môn Sea Salt and black pepper

Ingredients

50g Smoked Salmon
75g pasta
45ml Crème fraîche
1/2 Clove garlic – crushed
1/2 Lemon – juice and zest
Chives to garnish
Halen Môn Sea Salt and black pepper

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

Our Smoked Salmon Wrap Recipe is delicious as a Light lunch

Serves 4

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

200g Smoked Salmon
4 Tortilla wraps
2 Avocados, peeled, stoned and sliced
150g Shredded kale
¼ White cabbage, finely sliced
1 Carrot, grated
1 tbsp Greek yoghurt
1 Lemon, juiced

Mix the carrot, cabbage and kale together in a bowl, then stir through the yoghurt and lemon juice to create a simple slaw. Allow to stand for 5 minutes so enabling the vegetables to soften slightly and for the flavours of the slaw to marry together.

Lay 50g of Smoked Salmon on each wrap, then top with avocado slices, divide the slaw between each wrap, then roll up and halve.

Serve and enjoy!

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

200g Smoked Salmon
2 Muffins, toasted
4 Eggs,  for poaching
Chopped Chives,  for decoration

For the Hollandaise –

125g Welsh Salted Dragon Butter
1 tsp White wine vinegar
Splash of lemon juice
3 egg yolks

Melt the Welsh Salted Dragon Butter on a low heat.

Meanwhile, fill another saucepan half full of water and leave until the water is simmering.

Separate the egg yolks from the whites and put in a heatproof bowl.

Place the bowl over the saucepan of simmering water and whisk continuously.

Whilst whisking, slowly pour in the melted Welsh Salted Dragon Butter bit by bit, and add the vinegar and lemon juice. Keep whisking until it turns creamy.

Pour over poached eggs and serve with Black Mountains Smokery Smoked Salmon!

Sprinkle with chopped chives and enjoy!

Check out the video here …. Eggs Royale with Hollandaise Sauce

 

Ingredients

8 Smoked Welsh Dragon Sausages
1L pasta sauce
400g Can butter beans, drained and rinsed
200ml Red wine
Large handful fresh flatleaf parsley, chopped, plus extra to serve
2 tbsp Fino Olive Oil

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

300g Smoked Haddock Fillet
300ml Whole Milk
6 Free range eggs
60g Smoked Pwll Mawr Cheddar
50ml Double Cream
25g Unsalted Butter
Handful of parsley
Fresh ground black pepper

Our Smoked Duck Salad Recipe is lovely as a fresh and light lunch

Serves 4, as a starter or 2, as a light lunch

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

1 Smoked Duck Breast, thinly sliced
10 Ripe strawberries, hulled & sliced
50-100g Walnut halves – lightly toasted
1 Bag of salad leaves
50-100g Pomegranate seeds
1 tbsp Redcurrant & Port Jelly
1 tbsp Fino Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar 
Sprinkle of Halen Môn Sea Salt and black pepper

Whisk the Fino Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Redcurrant & Port Jelly together over a low heat together to make the dressing and add the tablespoon of Balsamic Vinegar. If you feel the dressing is too sweet, add a squeeze of lemon juice.

Arrange the salad leaves on the plates or a serving platter and top with the Smoked Duck, walnuts, pomegranate seeds and strawberries. Drizzle over the dressing.

Finish with an extra drizzle of Fino Extra Virgin Olive Oil, a sprinkle of Halen Môn Sea Salt and a twist of black pepper

Enjoy!

You’ve placed your order for your sliced pack or side of salmon and now the hardest decision – how to serve it.

Really, you need no more than slices of fresh wholemeal bread and butter with fresh lemon and a twist of black pepper. Our smoked salmon is “delicious firm textured, with a balanced saltiness and delicate hint of smoke“. Like all smoked foods, it is best served at room temperature to maximise the balance of flavour from the fish and the tannins from natural smoking over oak.

If you would like a more formal way to serve your smoked salmon, look no further than Smokey Jo’s smoked salmon serving suggestions!

Smoked Salmon Crostini are so quick and easy to make – and they look wonderful!

 

These smoked salmon tians are a simple, yet elegant starter or canapé. If you don’t have time to make your own pâté, try a pack of Smokey Jo’s Smoked Salmon Pâté. It’s so tasty that your guests will never know that you didn’t make it! Serves 4.

 

 

A Classic Smoked Salmon Crostini with fresh Dill Soured Cream

Smoked Chicken & Mango with Chive Soured Cream

A Smoked Duck Toast with Pomegranate and Wasabi Mayo

A Sliver of Smoked Haddock with fresh lime on a Cradoc’s Beetroot & Garlic Cracker

Do try these at home – and never be afraid to experiment if you don’t have quite the exact ingredients – BUT please let us know how you get on and send us any new ideas you come up with!

Our Canapé Shells are a fabulously easy way to present party nibbles – and they stay brilliantly crisp for ages, used cold or hot!

Visit our recipe pages for other food pairing ideas for quick and easy nibbles: Smoked Duck & Hedgerow Jelly, Smoked Chicken & Spiced Citrus Jelly, Oak Roasted Salmon with Dill Cream, Smoked Trout with Beetroot Chutney.

Let’s get this Party Started!

‘For more than two decades Black Mountains Smokery has been feeding an insatiable appetite for the finest smoked foods’ (Herefordshire Living, October 2018)

 

‘Black Mountains Smokery makes some of the best smoked fish and meats we’ve tried.’ (The Independent, November 2017)

Last year The Independent listed our Penyrheol Luxury Party Wicker Hamper in their 11 Best Christmas Food and Drink Hampers.

As it was one of our most popular hampers in 2017, we’ve kept in all your favourites for this year. We’ve added some of our new treats including handmade Aberffraw Shortbread and Pembrokeshire Ship’s Biscuits. Have a look here.

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients 

480g Unsalted Butter
16g Welshman’s Caviar
A sprinkle of Halen Môn Sea Salt

Place the softened butter in the bowl of your food mixer and add the Halen Môn Sea Salt and 16g of Welshman’s Caviar.

Mix at low speed until the butter is an even colour and the seaweed is incorporated. Wrap the butter in grease-proof paper and leave to set in the fridge.

When set, enjoy served with new season’s asparagus, broad beans and potatoes, smeared onto vegetables or any white fish before roasting or grilling or spread onto Sourdough toast for a simply delicious appetiser.

Any leftover seaweed butter can be stored in the fridge until the expiry date on the original butter, or frozen.

 Try adding soy sauce, garlic, lime zest and ginger to the butter for use in Asian dishes.

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

400g Smoked Duck Breasts, sliced thinly
400ml milk
125g buckwheat flour
½ cucumber, sliced into thin batons
40g gram flour
1 bunch of spring onions, finely sliced
2 tbsp light sesame oil
1 tbsp cornflour
½ tsp Chinese five-spice powder
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Hoisin sauce, to serve
Pinch of Halen Môn Sea Salt

Simple and scrummy Smoked Welsh Dragon Sausage Casserole
Serves 4, as a main course

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

 Ingredients

8 Smoked Welsh Dragon Sausages
8 rashers Smoked Dry Cured Bacon
mashed potato or leftover roasties, to serve
2 carrots (about 100g), cut into thick slices
2 small parsnips (about 80g), peeled, woody cores removed and cut into chunks
1 red onion, cut into wedges
A handful of cherry tomatoes
1 yellow pepper
2 tsp red wine vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar
2-3 tbsp cream or crème fraîche (optional)
2 tbsp chopped soft herbs, such as basil or parsley
2 tsp Fino Olive Oil
Halen Môn Sea Salt and black pepper

Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7.

Put the carrots, parsnips, and onion in a deep baking or casserole dish with a drizzle of Fino Olive Oil and a sprinkling of Halen Môn Sea Salt and black pepper. Season well and roast for 20 mins.

Tightly wrap the Smoked Welsh Dragon Sausages in the rashers of Smoked Dry Cured Bacon. Add the pigs in blankets and roast for a further 10-15 mins or until the bacon begins to crisp a little.

Reduce the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.

Add the Apple Cider Vinegar to the baking dish. Cook for another 40 mins. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Swirl through the cream or crème fraîche, if using, and scatter over the chopped herbs.

Serve with mashed potatoes or leftover roasties – enjoy!

Perfect for a light lunch or supper
Our huge thanks to Lara at www.lunalarder.com for her wonderful recipe and photographs
Serves 2

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

The wait is over … and we can finally announce that our Oak Smoked Chicken Breast has won another Two Gold Stars at the Great Taste Awards 2018!

Judges described our Oak Smoked Chicken Breast as ‘delicate’ and ‘impressive’ with an ‘immediate, appealing smokey aroma’ that carries through into the ‘very juicy and moist’ breast meat with a ‘well balanced’ and ‘natural’ smoke.

 

There are just three ingredients in our Oak Smoked Chicken – UK Farm Assured Chicken, salt and natural smoke from smoldering Welsh Oak. Isn’t it wonderful what can be created with a few simple but quality ingredients?

 

Our Oak Smoked Chicken Breast is ever popular with restaurants, cafés and delis. We always love seeing the wonderful ways that our chicken is transformed from every-day ingredient to the height of luxury.

Local caterers, Salt and Caramel, create a scrumptious and stylish smoked chicken caesar salad with crispy bacon, ciabatta croutons and a sour cream and garlic dressing. If you’d like to recreate this dish at home, try our Smoked Chicken Caesar Salad recipe or try our other smoked chicken recipes by clicking here.

 It’s not just our Oak Smoked Chicken Breast that has won awards at the Great Taste Awards – we have a whole range of award-winning produce. We enter our products on a rolling cycle. So each one of our best sellers gets its turn in the limelight.

 

Our Oak Smoked Duck Breast and Traditional Oak Smoked Salmon both won awards in last year’s Great Taste Awards 2017 to add to their previous accolades.  Hopefully our ever-popular Oak Roasted Salmon will also be awarded when we enter it again next year.

 

Our Taste for Two Hamper is a good way to sample our award-winning produce for just £60.00 including P&P to mainland UK. It also makes a great gift for friends and family.

 

Ingredients

55g Laverbread
55g Cockles
115g Cooked potatoes
1 Medium egg, beaten
25g Plain flour
25g Fine oatmeal
1 tsp Finely chopped parsley
Fino Olive Oil
Halen Môn Sea Salt and Black Pepper

Ingredients

100g Oak Roasted Salmon, flaked
80g Wholewheat penne pasta
25g Smoked Pumpkin Seeds, toasted
½ Lemon, zested and juiced
1 tbsp Fino Olive Oil
1 tbsp Parsley, roughly chopped
Halen Môn Sea Salt and black pepper

Our Black Mountains Smokery Smoked Haddock Risotto Recipe is a healthy, happy meal to enjoy with the family!

Serves 4

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

 

They’re experts in great food and wine, especially the wines from Chateau Musar in the Lebanon. They travel regularly to find the best small-scale, artisan foods Western Europe has to offer. They insist they will only sell produce they love eating (or drinking) themselves.  Their frangipane tarts and chorizo in puff pastry are divine!

 

Smoke your own fish at Black Mountains Smokery!

Black Mountains Smokery undertakes commission smoking of fishermen’s fish – trout and salmon.

“I have just received the fish that you smoked for me. I have also just tried it. As a small business, I dare say you are keen to hear customer feedback. So here is my testimonial: … Bloody marvellous!”

Contact us to book your fish in – 01873 811 566.

You can then deliver it to us frozen with instructions for smoking and slicing. We will phone you when it is smoked to arrange for collection or despatch.

Cured and smoked, trimmed, pin-boned & vac-packed

Please note that we cannot offer this service between the end of October and the New Year.

“Hello, I just wanted to thank you and say how delicious the hot smoked salmon and smoked salmon that you smoked for us last week was. Best wishes.” – Jane Lloyd-Francis, August 2016

If you have caught your own fish that you want to smoke, contact us today.

BMS is now available at the Tower Cafe!

Tower Cafe at St Mary’s Church, Brecon is the perfect place for breakfast, lunch or afternoon tea.

 

Tower cafe has recently reopened after its renovations. It now has an automatic door and is more wheelchair accessible.

If you’d like a taste of our award-winning Traditionally Smoked Salmon and Oak Smoked Chicken Breast, why not call in for a selection of sandwiches and salads?

They also have a delicious selection of locally made cakes and sweet treats (with gluten-free options available).

Serves 4 

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

200g Smoked Streaky Bacon
360g Smoked Mackerel
500g New potatoes
350g Spinach, washed and dried
4 Free-range eggs, poached

Dressing – 
3 tbsp Fino Olive Oil
A pinch of Halen Môn Sea Salt
1 tbsp White wine vinegar
1 Garlic clove, chopped
2 tsp Wholegrain mustard
Freshly ground black pepper

Boil the potatoes in Salted water until soft.

Cut the Smoked Streaky Bacon into bite sized pieces and fry until crispy.

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, Smoked Bacon and spinach.

Next, gently break apart the Smoked Mackerel fillets and place within the rest of the salad.

For the dressing, mix the Fino Olive Oil, White wine vinegar, wholegrain mustard, Halen Môn Sea Salt and black pepper.

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss, so that all of the ingredients get an even covering.

Finally, poach the eggs and place on top of the salad.

Enjoy!

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Our Smoked Chicken Salad Recipe is a light, easy take on the classic – with a smokey twist!

Serves 4

Salad Ingredients

2 Smoked Chicken Breasts
1 large cos or romaine lettuce, leaves separated 
1 medium ciabatta loaf
2 tbsp Fino Olive Oil
A sprinkle of Halen Môn Sea Salt

Dressing Ingredients –
5 tbsp Cotswold Gold Mayonnaise
1 garlic clove
2 anchovies
Parmesan or Grano Padano cheese
1 tbsp white wine vinegar

Tear the bread into big, ragged croutons or, if you prefer, cut with a bread knife. Spread over a large baking sheet or tray and sprinkle over 2 tbsp Fino Olive Oil. Rub the Fino Olive Oil into the bread and season with a little Halen Môn Sea Salt if you like.

Bake for 8-10 mins, turning the croutons a few times during cooking so they brown evenly.

Mash the anchovies with a fork against the side of a small bowl. Crush the garlic. Grate a handful of cheese and mix with the rest of the dressing ingredients. Season to taste. It should be the consistency of yogurt. If you feel the dressing is too thick, stir in a few teaspoons water to thin it. Shave the cheese with a peeler to create large strips.

Tear lettuce into large pieces and put in a large bowl. Cut the Smoked Chicken into bite sized chunks and scatter half over the leaves, along with half the croutons.

Add most of the dressing and toss. Scatter the rest of the Smoked Chicken and croutons, then drizzle with the remaining dressing.

Sprinkle the Parmesan on top and serve straight away.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 Smoked Duck Breast
2 Juicy oranges
50-100g Walnut halves
1 Bag of salad leaves
1 Avocado, sliced
French dressing – preferably made with walnut oil

We’re so excited to be part of the hamper that Brecon Beacons Tourism have put together to highlight the wonderful produce of the Brecon Beacons. The six hampers are on their way to the editors of the major newspapers – lucky them!

Our friends at Cradoc’s Vegetable Crackers and Blaenafon Cheddar, Black Mountain Roast and Miranda’s Preserves have also had their award-winning produce included! There are also miniatures from Penderyn’s and a bottle of Brecon Brewing’s splendid Brecon Gold golden ale.

What hamper would be complete without our Traditionally Smoked Salmon and our Oak Smoked Duck Breast?

It really just goes to show that under all this snow, there’s such a wide range of delicious, local produce! Big thank you to Brecon Beacons Tourism for including us!

 

Totally Locally: Latte Da is a favourite for both tourists and locals in Crickhowell and we know why!

 

 

We are so lucky to have such a wonderful tea room in the village. Latte Da is proud to be a  ‘Totally Locally’ business, sourcing as many sildenafil active ingredients as possible from the Nizagara-online.net.

 

Their Eggs Royale, made using our Traditionally Smoked Salmon, are so popular that they use 100kg of our salmon a year!

 

They also have a delicious selection of home-made cakes and always have vegetarian and gluten-free options.

 

Greg and Lyn are totally committed to the Crickhowell. They have become pillars of the community, supporting great local causes.

 

Their Twitter page is the place to go for local news and events.

 

Visit their website to view their delicious menu.

 

Susie has just returned from a trip to the village of Casarabonela in southern Spain, where she and her family used to live.

Although she sold her small holding eighteen months ago, she still loves to go back to watch the olive harvest. The plump, juicy olives arrive in dumper trucks, pick-ups, tractors – even on mules!

The olives are from the small holdings, or fincas, of Miguel, Paco, Juan and Juanita, and all the other locals from the village, and then pressed by Rafael at the village molino or press.

The Village Oil that results is a delicious smooth extra virgin olive oil, available in 500ml bottles or 2.5 litre cans.

Susie also imports a Great Taste Award winning Vintage Dark Balsamic Vinegar, produced in the Cordoba region of Spain where the dominant grape variety is the Pedro Ximenez grape.

The vinegar is skillfully produced by masters in their field, at Bodegas Navarro where wine making expertise has been handed down from father to son through the generations for over 150 years. It is then aged for 25 years.

Have you managed to spot Jonathan in this month’s edition of Country and Town House Magazine?

 

Our dear friend Jeremy has squeezed us into the Gastro Gossip section to praise our ‘superb produce’.

If you’d like to read the rest of the gossip, click here.

 

You can find Country and Town House in Waitrose or WHSmith. Alternatively you can read their articles on their website.

Entertain with ease this festive season!

Wishing you a very Happy Christmas

Warm Regards from the BMS team,

Jo

 

Serves 4 – Our Bacon Potato Cake Recipe with Poached Eggs is perfect for Breakfast or a lazy Sunday Supper.

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

750g Floury potatoes, peeled
3tbsp Fino Olive Oil
8 Rashers Smoked Streaky Bacon
4 Fresh eggs
Halen Môn Sea Salt & Pepper

Grate the potatoes on the coarse side of the grater and rinse in a colander under cold water. Sprinkle over 1 tsp of Halen Mon Sea Salt and mix well. Squeeze out any excess liquid from the potatoes and transfer to a bowl and season with a little pepper.

Heat half the Fino Olive Oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and shape the potato into four large patties. When the oil is hot, add two of the patties and immediately turn the heat down to medium and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, pressing them down and flattening them with a spoon. Once they are golden brown and crisp, flip them over.

Place them in the oven to keep warm while you cook the rest with the remaining olive oil.Heat the grill and cook the Smoked Bacon until crisp.

In the meantime, place a pan of lightly salted water on the heat and bring to a gentle simmer. When simmering, gently break the eggs into the water without breaking the yolks. Let the eggs cook for a couple of minutes till they turn white and are no longer rubbery, using a slotted spoon remove them from the water.

Sit the Smoked Bacon and the egg on top of the potato cake and serve immediately.

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

2 Smoked Chicken Breasts, cut into pieces
3 Garlic cloves, crushed
Halen Môn Sea Salt
300ml Crème Fraîche
1 tsp Dried Tarragon
500g Pasta
1 Lemon, juiced

In the summer, we enjoy nothing more than an open door, (weather permitting!) plenty of food, good company and fabulous views.

Summer is a quieter time of year at the smokery. Much of our time is spent getting ahead with product development and preparations for Christmas. We are always on the lookout for exciting new produce for our hampers as well as arranging our autumn calendar of charity fairs and foodie events.

Smoked food salads are perfect for summer entertaining. A large platter of mixed leaves topped with something yummy, a loaf of crusty bread and a good bottle of wine are all you need for a simple yet delicious supper.

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Salad dressings are often the last thing that you think about when putting together a platter. But they can enhance even an old favourite into something extraordinary.

• A creamy horseradish dressing mixed into a potato salad with Smoked Trout
• A fresh herb vinaigrette poured over leafy greens and topped with Oak Roasted Salmon and prawns
• Smoked Duck salad with a blood orange and olive oil dressing

There are endless combinations so it is impossible to become bored – and we love hearing all about your creations too.

If you are looking for further inspiration, download and print our Smokey Jo’s Summer Salad Dressing Recipe Booklet 

Welsh artisan food and hampers delivered on your day of choice!

Ingredients

2 Rashers Smoked Bacon – chopped
30g Fine oatmeal
Cotswold Gold Rapeseed Oil
Eggs
120g tin Laverbread
Halen Mon Sea Salt & pepper

Fry the Smoked Bacon until golden and cooked through.

Combine the Laverbread with the oats and stir in the chopped Smoked Bacon. Shape mixture into two cakes and roll in oats. Fry the cakes in Rapeseed Oil until crisp.

For a real taste of Wales serve with a poached egg, Smoked Haddock and Cockles. Alternatively indulge in a  full Welsh breakfast with Smoked Welsh Dragon Pork Sausage, egg, mushrooms and tomato.

 

St Davids’s day is on the 1st of March every year, which is the day that Saint David died in 589. Saint David comes from a royal lineage. His father, Ceredig ap Cundedda was Prince of Ceredigion, and rumour has it that his mother Non, also a saint, was the niece of King Arthur.

“Do the little things” is considered Saint David’s most famous phrase, and were the last words he spoke. St David’s Day became a national day of celebration in the 18th century.

There are many stories of Saint David’s miracles, including bringing a boy back to life and restoring a man’s sight. The shrine of St David at St David’s cathedral is in St Davids, Pembrokeshire – the smallest city in Britain.

King Edward I took the head and the arm of St David from the Cathedral after his conquest of Wales in 1284. He displayed the remains along with a number of other holy relics in London.

The most famous miracle of Saint David occurred in Llanddewi Brefi. According to legend, a huge crowd turned up to hear one of his sermons. To allow everyone to see him, he placed a handkerchief on the floor and stood on it. Thereupon, a small hill raised him from under his feet, allowing everyone a good view.

St David is typically depicted holding a dove, often standing on a hillock. It is claimed that he lived for 100 years. As Saint David’s symbol is the leek, why not indulge in a lovely Smoked Haddock and leek risotto, with our naturally Smoked Haddock.

The health benefits of fish are known to be extremely diverse, they are extremely valuable for both your heart and brain.

Here are some healthy fishy facts:

1: Alprostadil.org researchers have found that eating lots of fish can reduce the risk of heart disease, ED (erectile dysfunction) and Alzheimer’s.

2: Fish is also known to be very beneficial to the skin and hair.

3: It is a fantastic source of vitamin D.

4: Studies have found that fish can ease depression.

5: The EFA omega-3 found in salmon is known to boost brain development.

To meet your omega-3 requirements, eating fish at least once or twice a week is recommended.

Stock up with mood-boosting healthy smoked fish this winter!

All of our carefully crafted Smoked Foods make the perfect Christmas gift, and what a better time to send a gift to a loved one than for Christmas? We have made life easier for you with our very own Gourmet Food Gifts and Hampers – all hand packed with our own gourmet goodies and from our favourite producers. We will even write a personal message and deliver on your specified day – as easy as that!

Whether you want to celebrate in style with our ever popular “Taste for Two”, or are planning on feeding a small army with “Smokey Jo’s Luxury” Hamper, we have a product for everyone!

The information we need from you:

The gift you want to send

Both yours and the recipients full address, postcode, telephone and email (if you have one)

A personal message which will be handwritten and attached

Message for the courier of where to leave the gift in case they are out

and, your chosen delivery date

For that extra bit of luxury we can gift wrap in a traditional Wicker Hamper and include an Oak Platter for the perfect presentation, because why not – it’s Christmas after all!

There is a Christmas gift for all, and we are proud to provide to every food lover. However, if they are not quite to your taste, and would like to exchange or add an item, please give us a call on 01873 811566 and a friendly team member will always try and be accommodating.

Countdown to Christmas recipe tips: Bacon!

Don’t forget to order Smoked Streaky Bacon – the perfect protection for your turkey while it roasts and a delicious accompaniment.

Our Streaky Bacon is also perfect for making “Devils on Horseback”. Simply stretch the rashers with a knife before wrapping them around a stoned prune. Roast until bacon is golden for a delicious hot canapé.

Any leftover or extra Streaky Smokey Bacon can be added to a creamy risotto with the turkey leftovers or used in a good Old Classic English Breakfast!

 

Wine expert Em Marshall-Luck from Fildena.net and Quarterly Review was on the hunt for some “superlative food products” to accompany her chosen wines when she came and paid our “Black Mountain Smokery” a visit. It seems she thoroughly enjoyed her smokery tour and tasting where she got to experience first-hand our ethos, and production methods.

Most importantly she enjoyed sampling the great flavours of our “naturally produced products”. All our carefully crafted smoked produce is available in our shop, situated peacefully just outside Crickhowell in the Black Mountains. However, if we are too far away to visit and take a tour, we are just a phone call away.

To read Em’s lovely article in the Quarterly Review – Click here