The Farmer & His Wife

John Taylor gets value for money without making a meal of it!

AFISH merchant calls at our farm on a Thursday. When you live miles from a town, there’s an awful lot of travelling involved to and from the shops.

To have fresh fish landed at Pittenweem the day before, delivered to our door, is something I really appreciate.

I must admit I like fish. Always have done.

Anne says after we were married I used to watch from our top land for the fishing fleet passing up the Forth.

Then I was off to Pittenweem harbour to see the fleet come in and to watch the fish auction.

Nowadays a fishmonger calls.

Last Thursday, the van came into the yard and the fishmonger blew his horn.

Anne came out of the back door.

“Six pieces of haddock, please.”

I watched for a moment, and then put my oar in. “And six herring.”

I saw that his yellow peril – as I call smoked haddock – looked inviting, so I asked for six pieces of that as well.

Anne’s an economical person, so this is how she dealt with – her words – John’s harvest of fish.

She cooked all six pieces of haddock, rolled in fish dressing, that teatime. We had one and a half pieces each for tea.

I enjoyed my share and could have eaten more, but the other three were put away. We had a salad for lunch on the Friday.

Cold haddock, lettuce, eggs, tomatoes and grated carrots. Very nice and good for my weight.

Anne cooked the yellow peril in milk in the fryingpan, then added a cornflour milk sauce.

It tasted good, but she only gave us two each and six had gone into that pan.

Two were made into fish rissoles and put in the deep freeze for later.

Anne coated the herring in oatmeal and added a knob of butter in the centre and rolled them up. She put them in a dish and added salt and vinegar.

Into the oven they went. They tasted out of this world.

All in all, we had six meals out of that fish.

But I can’t help wondering how many meals we would have had out of a joint of beef or lamb at the same price. ■