Marrbury Smokehouse and Gamba

Vincent Marr of Marrbury Smokehouse produces first-class fish for a handful of elite clients including Gamba and while he was busily working away, we caught up with wife Ruby for a chat about how the smoking process works, how they built the business, the Marrbury magic, and when they first met our chef-patron, Derek Marshall.

Ruby said: “Our smokehouse is in an outhouse on our land in the Galloway Hills. Atmospheric conditions affect smoking, and ours is a former pig byre with thick walls, ideal for retaining a cool temperature.  All our kilns are operated manually, and cold dry days are better for cold smoking.

“Vincent still hand produces every single item of food that leaves the smokery. It’s not open to the public though, because it’s his private space where he prefers to work alone to maintain consistency. He can’t go by a rigid timer either because of the weather affecting the smoking process.

“For example, on a warm humid day when you salt the fish, it’s more porous. It therefore requires less salting time. But on a cold dry day, the salt is absorbed slower.

“Vincent often works through the night, so this is no nine-to-five for either of us.”

How Ruby and Vincent met Gamba chef-patron, Derek Marshall

Ruby first met our chef-patron Derek Marshall back in the 90s, even before Gamba opened in 1998.

 “I met Derek just before Papingo opened in Glasgow in the 90s, where he was head chef. He’s what we call one of our originals and we’re so proud to supply his wonderful restaurant.

“I’m not surprised that 25 years on, Derek is still cooking up a storm at Gamba.  When we started Marrbury, we wanted only the finest clients and our ‘hit list’ of course included Derek.”

The Marr family name and fishing

Vincent comes from a long line of fishermen - the Marr Family has been salmon fishing since 1890.

Vincent and Ruby still fish the salmon-rich waters of the River Cree, plus they’re one of the very few traditional net & coble salmon fishermen teams left - an ancient and environmentally friendly method of catching salmon, by spotting them in the water and taking them with net, and coble (a flat-bottomed boat).

During fishing season, they catch, tag, then freeze the salmon fresh whole off the tide, and smoke it to order.

 “Vincent smokes his salmon over old whisky oak barrel shavings and juniper berries, and it’s his attention to his kilns, his awareness of the weather, the draw of the flue, and how salt will cure differently according to humidity that all set him apart.”

How and when did Marrbury Smokehouse begin?

“Vincent and I started business in 1996. He knows salmon inside out and was working with a large local smokehouse which during his employ, passed into the hands of Norwegian buyers. 

“They wanted to mass produce the salmon, so it was all about quantity, not quality and Vincent hated it, so we opened our own smokehouse, and when we started out, we had nothing.

“We literally went out, cool bag in hand, chapped kitchen doors and said, ‘Taste this!’”

“We obtained planning permission for a small steel shed outside our home. It was like a Tardis. Kitted it out in stainless steel, and an Afos kiln, it was a mini factory. We very quickly outgrew that, and in 1999 found our home with the perfect outbuildings which we were able to convert to the smokehouse operation we still have today.”

That Marrbury magic at sustainable restaurant Gamba

So, what’s the spell that makes the Marrbury magic at sustainable restaurant Gamba?  (if you haven’t yet worked it out, Marrbury is a fusion of the name ‘Marr’ and an anagram of ‘Ruby’).

“Vincent's pride, his passion for his craft, and his lifetime's experience as a ‘net and coble’ salmon fisherman – that’s the Marrbury magic.

“We once moved to Wigton and opened a factory but didn’t like it one bit. It only underlined the need for our smokehouse to be adjacent to our home because of the nature of the work involved and the timings.

“We’re still working as hard, despite no longer having our fine dining restaurant and visitor centre. We sold the latter in January 2022, plus I hit a milestone birthday last year, so we decided that we wanted to compact our business – Vincent continues full-time with Marrbury.

“Now, when I look back, I often wonder how we found the time to run a shop, which we did for 20-plus years. And I don’t know how, but we’re still working seven days a week.”

What does the future hold?

Ruby and Vincent might be semi-retired, but Marrbury Smokehouse is going nowhere.

“Even minus our shop, customers can of course still purchase directly from us via our website, and Marrbury doesn't pre-freeze - even during winter. Vincent works into the wee small hours to fulfil every order.

“The day might come when Vincent passes his business and trade secrets on, but it’s a long way off yet."

 By Jason Caddy

Vincent and Ruby Marr of Marrbury Smokehouse