Island Life Magazine Ltd April/May 2010 | Page 126

food

Island Life - April/May 2010

Fishing for

compliments

IT is 3pm and at Phillips Fine Foods in

runs the business, had been farmers until

the ordinary!” fish and seafood. “We

Northwood, things are starting to calm

they took over Phillips.

mainly supply wholesale, but it’s very

down, just a little. Proprietor Jeff Dove

“I learnt about fish because I loved

nice to see the general public at our shop

has just finished advising a customer

scuba-diving,” says Jeff. Now he and his

because you get immediate feedback, and

how to cook a particular sort of fish, has

10 staff have become expert in making

we can give advice about how to cook it.

taken numerous phone calls and is on

life easy for cooks and chefs across the

“ The huge free car park makes buying

his way to check on the 60 kilo of fish in

Island. Deliveries are daily, and orders

fish – with free advice – particularly easy.

his smokery. It is a slick operation, with

can be placed on the answerphone over

trayloads of prepared seafood going out

night. Each week hotels and restaurants

all over the Island: yet Jeff still manages

are faxed with what is currently available,

to be your friendly local fishmonger with,

including whole crabs and lobsters, which

apparently, all the time in the world for

can be cooked to order.

each customer.
“Since we took on the business 15

“The primary shellfish are mostly from
here aren’t all that prolific with fish

says proudly. “The catering industry was

life, so we look elsewhere – but not far

not being well serviced by the fish and

elsewhere.” They buy from the landing

seafood suppliers – so we stepped it up

ports on the south coast like Newlyn,

a bit.” Now they not only supply fish,

Penzance, Plymouth and Brixham – so

from the humble coley to the exotic

supporting communities similar to our

marlin, they prepare it to the extent the

own. Farmed salmon comes from the west

chef requires. They’ll fillet or butterfly an

coast of Scotland or the Hebrides.
Then there are the esoteric fish that

haddock are smoked weekly and prawns,

won’t appear on the average fishmonger’s

trout, mussels, and the occasional eel are

slab. And a large range of frozen fish.

smoked monthly.
Their success is perhaps all the more

But you can tell with Jeff that happy
customers are the primary concern:

surprising because Jeff and his daughters

witness the wealth of leaflets on how to

Jacqueline and Michelle, with whom he

cook the more out of the ordinary – “and

126

Cowes, PO3 18PG. Tel: [phone]

the Island,” says Jeff. “The waters round

years ago it’s grown every year,” he

order, or supply smoked fish. Salmon and

Phillips Fine Foods, 339 Newport Road,

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