Island Life Magazine Ltd August/September 2007 | Page 105

FOOD & DRINK

life

Calling all fish

LOVERS

When Paul and Zoe Lit took
the decision to sell fish from
a mobile van, they certainly
did it in style. “Well, people
don’t want to be buying
fresh fish from a beaten-up
vehicle,” Paul says. “I went
at it in a big way because
image is important.”
It certainly is in trying to
establish a brand-new
business. Customers buying
from Paul can be reassured,
he says, that his £40,000-plus,
state-of-the-art van keeps his
fish at a perfect temperature,
even if it’s hot outside.
But what brought this former
self-employed steel fixer from
Tilbury in Essex to becoming
a mobile fishmonger on the
Island? “I came here five years
ago with the family and fell in
love with it,” is the familiar but
true story. “At first I continued
to commute from here back to
Tilbury, but it got ridiculous.
So Zoe and I thought we’d
get a café in Colwell. That
fell through though.
“Then as we went to the
various village shows and
festivals I thought I spotted
a gap in the market.”
He began by selling seafood
to show-goers, but has since
branched out and now stocks
cod, bass, local kippers,
mackerel, as well as shellfish.
“Bass is the most popular
variety, selling at around
£3.50-£4.50 a fish.” He even
gets hold of lobster, selling at

Island Life - www.islandlife.tv

around £12-£14. He sources
his fish from Portsmouth, and
from Phillips’ Fine Foods.
Paul can be found this
summer at Calbourne Classics
Farm on Wednesdays 10am4pm, at Briddlesford Farm
on Thursdays 10am - 5pm,
and at Newport Market from
9am - 2.30pm on Fridays.
One of his selling points is
that he will take orders and
home-deliver, which to people
living in out-lying villages has
to be a plus. “Ring me up, we’ll
have a chat about what you
want and I’ll drop it round,”
says Paul. And the kudos of a
posh refrigerated van turning
up at the door is bound to be
a draw for the customer.
“I’m really looking for more
pitches, and lots of people
have said they’d welcome a
fresh fish van – it’s just getting
permission from the Council
which takes the time. Ideally
I’d love a pitch in Yarmouth,
Cowes and Ryde. Wherever I’m
selling I hear people saying,
‘We could do with one of these
in our town,’” says Paul.
He can’t wait to get
established with regular days
each week. “It does scare me,
the commitment I’ve made
financially,” he says. “But
when it comes to food, you’ve
got to do things properly.”
To contact Paul either about a
pitch or having some fresh fish
delivered please call Harbour
Seafoods, Tel: [phone]

105