From a Garden Cabinet to Selfridges: London Smoke & Cure's Story

Not many of London's most decorated smokehouses started life in a garden shed, but London Smoke & Cure did exactly that. In 2015, Ross began experimenting with smoke and salt in a Crystal Palace back garden, using little more than an old kitchen cabinet as his first smoker. Jamie joined not long after, and a hobby that began almost by accident has grown into one of Bermondsey's most respected artisan producers.

From a garden cabinet to a horse stable

The early years were resourceful rather than glamorous. After the garden, the operation moved into a restored 19th-century horse stable on a cobbled mews in Streatham - proof that good products don't need a purpose-built factory, just patience and the right conditions. Today the business runs from a converted railway arch at Spa Terminus in Bermondsey, surrounded by some of London's best independent food producers.

The salmon that won over Good Housekeeping

The signature product is a sashimi-grade Scottish salmon, cold-smoked slowly enough to develop real depth without the harsh saltiness that lets down so many supermarket alternatives. It's been named the Good Housekeeping Institute's Best Smoked Salmon two years in a row, in 2021 and 2022, and holds a two-star Great Taste Award - recognition that's helped it onto the counters at Selfridges and Fortnum & Mason, and onto the pass in several Michelin-starred kitchens.

Charcuterie, bacon and sausages made the slow way

The rest of the range is built on the same principle: salt, smoke and time, with no shortcuts. The charcuterie selection - salami, bresaola, 'nduja, lonza and coppa - is air-dried in small batches and tasted weekly to make sure every batch meets the standard. The bacon and sausages, both streaky and back cuts, are dry-aged for a full 28 days before they ever meet smoke, and the sausages are hand-linked rather than pushed through a machine.

A business built on doing things properly

London Smoke & Cure describes its guiding principle simply: start with something good, take your time, make it properly. That extends beyond the smokehouse - the business is a London Living Wage employer, delivers locally by e-cargo bike, and runs hands-on Smoke School workshops teaching bacon-making, sausage-linking and salami craft to anyone who wants to learn.

How to enjoy it

The smoked salmon needs nothing more than good bread and a squeeze of lemon, though it also stands up beautifully to blinis and crème fraîche for a proper spread. The charcuterie is built for grazing boards, and the bacon rewards a slow pan rather than a rushed one - the extra ageing is worth tasting properly. A gift box is the easiest way to try a bit of everything at once.

From a Crystal Palace garden to the shelves of Selfridges and Fortnum & Mason, London Smoke & Cure's rise has been built on patience rather than shortcuts. Shop the full range online at Farmfetch for easy UK delivery.