Ancient man must have first discovered that he had to hang excess food from his hunting expeditions to prevent other animals eating it. Having discovered fire, he or she stumbled upon the fact that meat hung in the smoke in the cave or hut had a preservative effect. Presumably, the fisherfolk discovered that salting also preserved fish. By the combination of the two, man had accidently stumbled upon a complex chemical reaction which not only flavoured, but also preserved, the food through the barren winter months.

Today we know the salt in the brining process removes up to 25% of the water content of the cells and the exposure to low temperature hardwood smoke initiates an enzymatic reaction in the food to produce this preservation effect and flavour enhancement. By combining this knowledge with modern technology, we can produce vacuum-packed smoked produce of the highest quality with not only "the tastes loved by our forefathers" but also a greatly extended shelf life in modern electric fridges and deep freezers.

Little over 50 years ago, before electricity came to the Isle, Anglesey was ringed by small artisanal smokehouses.