A bloater is a herring smoked whole, guts and all. Cley Smokehouse still smoke them on the High Street in Cley next the Sea, Norfolk. Slow Food UK names the smokehouse as a producer of Norfolk bloaters on its Ark of Taste, the register of foods in danger of disappearing from the British table. The bloaters and kippers are cold smoked. Alongside them come prawns, mussels, salmon, mackerel, haddock and trout, all of it smoked over oak in the village on the North Norfolk coast. The people behind it fished this stretch of sea before they smoked what came out of it, and you can tell from the range: it reads like the contents of a boat, not a catalogue. If you are working your way along the coast, Mrs Temple's Cheese is made a few miles inland at Wighton, and their Binham Blue next to Cley Smokehouse's smoked mackerel is a lunch I would highly recommend.

Awards and Recognition

Slow Food UK Ark of Taste: named producer for Norfolk bloaters (listing current as of October 2026).

Social Media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCleySmokehouse

Can people visit or buy direct?

Yes. The smokehouse shop is on the High Street, Cley next the Sea. Opening hours are not published, so check before you travel.

Website

https://cleysmokehouse.com/

Address Summary

Cley next the Sea, Holt, Norfolk