Good Evening Set

Good Evening Set: Eight Things, Three to Four People

The set we bring most often. Eight items chosen to sit next to a drink rather than to make a meal — enough range that nobody is left with the one thing they do not like, without the volume of our large set. This is the size for a Friday evening with a couple of friends rather than a party.

What You Get

• Eight items. Smoked and dried, chosen so the textures do not repeat — something to slice, something to tear, something to pick at.
• Serves three to four. As an evening spread with drinks. Two people can comfortably make it last across a weekend.
• Two free additions. Salty Squid and Sweet Mix come with it.
• Ready to serve. Nothing to cook or assemble.

Why the Contents Change

We build this set around what is best that week rather than around a fixed list. Smoked fish is seasonal, and a set that follows the catch is better than one that promises the same eight items in February and August. The count and the range stay the same; the exact line-up shifts. If there is something you particularly want in or out, leave a note with your order.

How to Serve It

Take it out of the fridge twenty minutes before people arrive. Cold fat is stiff and mutes the flavour — this single step matters more than anything else here.

• Mild to rich. Arrange so people can work in one direction. Starting with the richest thing flattens everything after it.
• Keep the strong things apart. Chilli and heavy smoke travel across a board. Give the delicate slices their own corner.
• Put out something plain. Bread, boiled potatoes, cucumber. The palate needs a reset between salty things.
• To drink. Cold beer or crisp white wine with the dried items; vodka with the smoked fish. Anything sweet fights the smoke.

Which Set Is Right?

• A Little Bit of Everything. A small mix for two. The place to start if you are new to any of this.
• Good Evening Set — this one. Eight items, three to four people. A quiet evening with friends.
• For A Big Company. Thirteen items, four pounds, about ten people. A birthday, a housewarming, or any night where the door keeps opening.

Keeping It

Sealed and refrigerated at 32–39°F, the smoked items hold up to three weeks and the dried items one to three months. Opened smoked fish should be eaten within three to five days — press the air out and reseal. Most of it freezes at 0°F for up to two months; thaw overnight in the fridge.

Fuller guidance is in our storage guide.

Common Questions

Is this enough for four people? For an evening with drinks, comfortably. Smoked fish is picked at across an evening rather than eaten in one go, so it goes further than the weight suggests. If it is the only food on the table, three is the honest number.

What if there are more of us? Once you are past five, our large set works out better than two of these — more items, more variety, and free shipping.

How far ahead can I order? Three or four days is comfortable — everything keeps well past a week sealed. We ship early in the week so nothing sits in a depot over a weekend.

Can I ask for specific items? Leave a note with your order. We cannot promise every request, but we would rather build it around what you actually want.

Is it a good introduction to smoked fish? It is the one we recommend first. Eight small amounts tell you what you like far better than one large piece of something you have never tried.