Wellgate Fisheries

It is hard to find a good local fishmonger nowadays, but one of the best in the country is in Clitheroe. Giles Shaw sold his first fish when he was eight years old and now provides fantastic fish and seafood to top restaurants in the North West and Yorkshire. His Wellgate shop and stall at Clitheroe Market, as well as a great supplier and staff, means that the same superb quality is on offer to the public, too. The business was founded in 1939 by Jack Hall and the Shaws acquired it exactly 50 years later.

Giles’s philosophy is simply to buy the best fish available, with little regard to price. Where possible, his fish is ethically sourced - his popular salmon, though farmed, is RSPCA approved, for instance. As well as supporting the Manchester wholesale fish market, he will often buy direct from the coast and seasonal offerings include wild sea bass, brown shrimps, flooks, whitebait, mullet, wild sea trout and locally caught wild salmon from the Lune river. Look out for some delicious smoked fish - Marbury smoked salmon, undyed smoked haddock and kippers from both Scotland and the Isle of Man.

Food for thought...

• In the gap between his first fish sale and 1989, Giles trained as a chef and worked at Pennyhill Park in Bagshot, the Ritz and Northcote Manor. Not surprisingly, his shop also offers an encyclopaedic knowledge of fish and seafood recipes, as well as some of the best- informed general advice on cooking fish.
• Check out Giles's paella parties!

Wellgate Fisheries, 5 Wellgate, Clitheroe, Lancashire, BB7 2DS
01200 423511
giles@wellgatefisheries.co.uk
www.wellgatefisheries.co.uk
SD 74534185
Open 8.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Saturday