We are proud to use regional suppliers to ensure the carbon footprint of your plate is kept to a minimum. But we’re not standing still. We recognise this is an ever-increasing issue and we’re always looking for ways we can do more.
As a seafood restaurant based on the south coastal waters of the UK, we recognise our role in ensuring the future of the seas, and a healthy marine eco-system. This means that in choosing our suppliers we are focused only on sourcing fish caught in UK waters or landed in UK ports, choosing only sustainable fish – preventing over-fishing and biodiversity loss.
Our fish is vast majority line caught, with the exception of the trout from Chalk Stream.
We want you to be able to enjoy the delicious flavours coming from our kitchen, in the knowledge that the fish you are eating is sustainably sourced. Read on to learn more about where we source some of the seafood you might see on our menu today.
At The Briny we use Chalk Stream Trout which is farmed at the River Test and Itchen rivers in Hampshire. These rivers are ideal due to the fast-flowing chalky waters which allow the trout to grow well with a unique clean taste. These two rivers are of the most highly monitored rivers in the UK and are subject to regular testing by the Environment Agency.
Shellfish is known to be the most sustainable aquaculture for human consumption and mussels are one of the most sustainable forms of farmed food in the world. Not only do they actually improve the environment (by filtering the water that they are grown in, but also they sequestre carbon out of the water into their shells). As a result, they have one of the lowest carbon footprints of any grown foods too.
Our mussels are supplied by Fowey Shellfish.
Launched in 1995, Fowey was the first off-shore rope grown mussel farm, which allows the farmer to pick only the purest water areas to grow their product. Using cutting edge techniques and materials, Fowey claims to be both organic and sustainable. They are the only mussel farm in the UK to use organic cotton. Mussels themselves are one of the most sustainable forms of sealife with their water filtering abilities, and added to this have a very low carbon footprint. These organic mussels are grown from a wild seed caught off the coast of Cornwall, grown to full size in St Austell Bay then processed for sale in Fowey. Port to plate traceability at its best.
Our chefs will only use fresh British lobsters. We have great relationships with our fish suppliers and will only use lobsters caught in pots off the South Coast, where the population is healthier than any other port in the UK, usually between June and September.
The British crab season is from April to November with the height of the season in May where this product is plentiful. Our fish suppliers will source crab from small inshore boats, that fish mainly off the Cornish coast. At The Briny we use live brown crab and spider crabs. We also use fresh handpicked Brixham crab from The Brixham Crab Company. Their crabs are caught in nets by MSC registered boats that operate locally, and land directly into Brixham Market.
We use British oysters at The Briny – the more local the better, but the quality is paramount. We are lucky enough to be surrounded by some really great oyster farmers. Our main supplier and also the most local, is Dorset Oyster Company who also supply us with cockles and clams. Farmed directly in Poole Harbour, they provide the highest quality Pacific Oysters. The oyster is a sustainable hero, that can filter 100 – 200 litres of water a day, which helps to purify our British waters. The Solent itself is a part of a new project run by the Blue Marine Foundation to restore what was once Europe’s largest oyster fishery off the South Coast of England. 69,000 native oysters are being restored to The Solent across 12 restoration sites. The aim is to restore the thriving oyster population whilst creating cleaner waters to improve our local marine ecosystem.
Our sustainability practices go beyond our fish suppliers.
We opt for high welfare meat, and reduce waste by purchasing the whole animal from our butcher, rather than individual cuts. This means we can work our way through the animal, utilising every part.
The majority of our meat is supplied by Smiths Butchers in Southampton.
Our beef is the Ashdale variety which means it has to fall under certain criteria. www.alec-jarrett.co.uk
To reduce our carbon footprint we buy locally where possible, using products including Isle of Wight Garlic and Tomatoes, locally foraged wild garlic and sea herbs. Our fruit and veg suppliers are The Fruit Basket and Bellord and Brown.
https://www.thefruitbasket.net/
https://www.bellordandbrown.com/
Every drop of oil we use in our kitchen is recycled to be used as Biodiesel.
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