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May 2002

The Toptrout Times

Welcome to the May 2002 edition of 'The Toptrout Times', the regular email newsletter from Top Trout Ltd, bringing news, updates, special offers and advice from the team at www.toptrout.co.uk

Weather for Ducks !

What a cold and wet month this has been. Now that we're approaching the end of the month the weathermen are finally telling us what we know all along. This has been the coldest May for 5 years with much of the south and west of the country getting twice the average rainfall.

Still, the good news is that I finally managed to find time for a days fishing at Church Hill Farm near Milton Keynes. A bit of a drive for me, as I'm based in London, but part of my determination to fish in several new places each year.

And I'm glad I did make the journey. Church Hill Farm has three lakes beautifully located in what I can best describe as manor style parkland. The friendly reception I got from the local anglers was most welcoming and they were happy to spend time chatting, giving me advice on the hot spots and even sharing successful flies with me.

All in all I had a thoroughly enjoyable day. The fish there are in excellent condition, fighting fit with strong wide tails and there was plenty of action on this bright but cool day.

If you haven't been there yet I'd definitely recommend Church Hill farm as someplace to try. They're in open countryside about 5 miles South-West of Milton Keynes (Tel: 01296 720754).

New this month

This month we've again added some new products and advice to our web site:
  • On the product side we've started to stock our unique Filleting Gloves in a Small Size 7. Suitable for those with a smaller than average glove size.

    We've also recently added two new 'how to' articles with simple to follow advice and diagrams on cleaning and filleting fish:

  • How to Clean a Fish
  • How to Fillet a Fish
Special offer for June

Our current special offer of a filleting glove for only £9.95 when bought with any filleting knife is proving popular so we have decided to extend it until the end of June.

We think these filleting gloves are the safest, most comfortable around so don't hesitate to take a look and protect your hands from accidental cuts.

Full details of the offer can be found here

Recipe of the month: Poached Trout or Salmon

This is a great recipe for cooking a whole trout or salmon and is ideal for serving at dinner parties. It can be served hot or cold and takes very little preparation.

You will need a fish kettle (fish poacher) for this recipe.

Ingredients.
  • 1 Large fresh trout or Salmon (Cleaned and gutted, with the head still on but the gills removed)
  • Salt (about 1 teaspoon salt per litre of water - 1/2 teaspoon per pint)

    To Serve:

  • 2-3 sliced Lemons
  • Sprigs of parsley
  • Mayonnaise
Half fill the fish kettle with boiling water and add the salt (as a guide an 18" kettle will need about 5 pints of water and 2-3 teaspoons of salt).

Now place the fish into the kettle (good kettles come with a 'cradle' that hold the fish and makes this easier). Cover the kettle and bring to the boil over a medium heat.

To serve cold, simmer gently for 5 minutes then turn off the heat and leave until cold.

To serve hot, simmer gently for 20 minutes then turn off the heat and leave for 5 minutes.

When ready, remove the fish from the kettle and carefully slide the fish onto a serving plate. Remove the skin and serve with a slice of lemon, a sprig of parsley and a dollop of mayonnaise.


That's all from us for now. We'll be back with another issue in June but in the meantime you can find more recipes and advice here.

Best wishes and tight lines for the rest of the season.