Scots are bringing in the bells this year by feasting on Scotland’s best and finest salmon, after data from supermarket chain Asda and Scotty Brand revealed that the fishy dish has skyrocketed in popularity.
Scotty Brand Smoked Salmon, which is farmed, smoked and packed in Scotland, has become a family favourite this festive season, with record numbers being sold across Asda stores.
Sales of Scotty Brand salmon have been so successful that if every pack was laid side to side, they would stretch across the length of the Forth Bridge more than 10 times!
Scotty Brand salmon is sourced responsibly from farms off the west coast, Hebrides and Shetland where the water temperature and tides are perfect for the culture of healthy and tasty fish.
Asda has also seen sales of salmon spike across its own brand premium range, with many families buying the Asda Extra Special Smoked Salmon lines. Responsibly sourced from farms in the off Shetland, Orkney and the west coast of Scotland, all of Asda’s Extra Special smoked salmon is hung for a minimum of 15 hours in traditional brick kilns. Overall, Asda has witnessed an impressive 15% sales increase across its Extra Special range.
As Scots’ palates enjoy the taste of more premium and nutritious foods, such as smoked salmon, recent reports from Scotland Food & Drink reveal that almost £200m has been spent on food and drink this festive season, reaffirming the notion that Scots are increasingly willing to pay for well-sourced, top quality, local products.
June Rose, fresh buyer for Asda Scotland, said: “Throughout the year, and in particular on the lead up to the festive season, we’ve seen the popularity of salmon steadily increase. Customers are becoming increasingly health conscious and coupled with the increase in those willing to pay for premium products; smoked salmon has been the must-have item to have on the Christmas and Hogmanay dinner tables.”
Richard Allison, general manager of Scotty Brand, added: “Every product in the Scotty Brand family is renowned for its quality and provenance and it has been a fantastic year for us as customers are realising the benefits of enjoying locally sourced Scottish salmon.
“To have been able to produce and sell enough smoked salmon to stretch across the Forth Bridge more than 10 times, we couldn’t have asked for a better achievement. It is a fantastic way to round a busy and successful year off and we hope everyone across Scotland enjoys bringing in the bells with our delicious dish.”
Asda and Scotty Brand have worked in partnership for more than five years and most recently singed a £150,000 contract to exclusively stock a new range of bakery products in 57 Scottish Asda stores.
ENDS