As a young lad of six or seven I remember the Fishman coming around once a week with his horse and cart and calling out, ‘Caller Hearn,’ to alert the housewives to his presence. He used to sell; dependant on the season, whatever fish was available. Sometimes it would be cod, haddock or mackerel and sometimes sprats or herrings. On hearing his call the women would go to the cart with their enamel basins and pick the fish they wanted. The Fishman would then weigh the fish and pour them into the basin and take payment.

My dad liked his herrings dipped in oatmeal and fried in a pan, but my mother liked hers baked in the oven. We, my brother and I, were given whatever was going and we ate a lot of herring when herring season came round. It was, at that time a very cheap fish to buy, which was important to families on a tight budget. But it was equally as important as a wholesome nutritious food.

F Watson. 

Baked Herring

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 herrings

Salt and pepper

½ pint of half and half, malt vinegar/ water

1 tablespoon pickling spice

4 bay leaves

2 small onions, sliced

Method

Clean herrings, cut off heads and tails

Scale and bone herrings, cut down middle to give you two fillets

Rollup the fillets from the tail end with the skin inside

Place close together in an ovenproof dish

Pour over the vinegar/water mixture

Sprinkle with pickling spice

Place onions and bay leaves on top

Cover with foil and bake slowly in a warm oven for 1½ hours

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