Earlier this month, Groups Direct CEO, Simon Warwick, and the company’s Marketing & Advertising Executive, Emily Fisher, were guests at the world famous H Forman & Sons Smokehouse, adjacent to the Olympic Park in Stratford, East London. Groups Direct has been selling tours to the Smokehouse for the past two years, and this visit was an opportunity to meet up with Lance Forman and his team.

Forman & Son is the last of the original London smokehouses, a business that since 1905 has remained faithful to the principles of creating London Cure smoked Scottish salmon, a delicacy that now has Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) certification – a protected food name status similar to Champagne, Parma ham and Melton Mowbray pork pies.

Following a talk by Lance Forman, and once ‘gowned up’, Simon and Emily joined the group tour that took them into the very heart of the smokehouse, a beautiful modern factory unit situated on the banks of the River Lea. The group was treated to a smoked salmon masterclass by carving Guiness World Record Holder, Darren Matson, incorporating an educational journey through the smoking process and a demonstration of the skills required to carve the perfect slice of smoked salmon. The group then retired to the in-house restaurant where a beautiful taster platter of smoked salmon was given to each person.

Simon Warwick said, ‘It was wonderful to experience a truly British business at the very top of its game. There was such enthusiasm from the whole team. They are clearly very proud to be working for such an iconic company’.

If you'd like to visit the H. Forman & Son Smokehouse, contact Groups Direct on 0800 049 8309.