Chalk Stream Trout

When it comes to the fish we choose to eat in the UK, we don’t tend to stray far from the usual suspects.  80% of all the seafood we consume is comprised of cod, haddock, tuna, prawns and our all-time favorite salmon.  Since we are an island nation, surrounded by sea, you would think that the majority of this comes from our shores, but shockingly around 80% is imported.  It’s fair to say then, there’s room for improvement in getting the nation to cook more local and sustainably sourced fish. 

Where better to start than with our fascination with salmon.  Salmon is of course an undeniably delicious and versatile ingredient.  But wild Atlantic populations are also now dangerously low, while farmed salmon often comes with its own environmental concerns.  Many sea farms have been accused of high-intensive farming practices which involve the overuse of antibiotics to counteract the diseases that arise from holding dense populations of salmon in pens.  To make matters worse, their feed is usually made up of wild caught fish products which are simply not sustainable as a food source. 

As chefs and consumers, we have a responsibility to consider ways we can freshen up the menu while favouring more sustainable ingredients. At Leiths, this is an important consideration to impart to students, as they train for a variety of culinary careers. With this in mind, members of our team recently paid a visit to one of our key suppliers – Chalk Stream Trout.  Over the last 10 years Chalk Stream have been winning round top restaurants with their superb output and helping to change perceptions of this particular fish.  Historically, trout developed something of a bad reputation for being a lesser cousin to salmon, as it was considered a boney, fiddly little fish with a muddy aftertaste, reminiscent of the sludgy banks of a river. Chalk Stream has turned that perception on its head, rearing large, lean rainbow trout with a beautifully clean taste.  That’s because they are raised in a clear chalk stream river setting. 

We had the pleasure of going to see the Chalk Stream recently and meeting Arthor who is one of the founders.  The farm runs parallel to the river Test (based in Hampshire).  Walking towards the farm you get a view of the gin-clear water, teaming with life.  Arthor points at the distributary that marks the entrance to the farm and with pride explains that TWO tons of water flow into the farm every second.  This fast-flowing water is important because it keeps the trout swimming and makes them as active and healthy as they would be in the wild.  The trout take two years to mature from little fingerlings (juvenile fish) through to fully grown 3kg+ adults.  The iridescent adults are the sort of catch that would bring a smile to the face of any fishman, if they could wrestle one out of the water!  Details go into every part of the care of these fish including the feed.  Unlike most farmed fish a vast majority of their feed is made up of plant products like soy rather marine caught content.  As custodians of a stretch of the Test, Chalk Stream constantly monitors the water quality entering and leaving the farm, day and night. 

Chalk Stream’s obsession with bringing delicious, responsibly reared trout to the table has helped put this once maligned ingredient back on the specials board and turned enough heads from the Marine Conservation Society to farmed rainbow trout as ‘best choice’ for sustainability.  So, the next time you start dreaming up a salmon dish, why not give trout a go?  Who knows, you might even replace smoked salmon for trout on Christmas morning!  Just a suggestion…

Read the recipe

• Classic poached trout with pickled cucumber and a lime mayonnaise