Meet the producer : Hodgson Fish
Words: Pipe and Glass
They’re a fishy family, the Hodgsons of Hartlepool. One of the country’s leading fish suppliers, these days the family firm is run by brother-and-sister team Peter and Jill, under the guidance of dad Alan.
They’re a fishy family, the Hodgsons of Hartlepool.

One of the country’s leading fish suppliers, these days the family firm is run by brother-and-sister team Peter and Jill, under the guidance of dad Alan.

But the Hodgson dynasty in the town dates back nearly 150 years to when Alan’s great-grandfather, Samuel Cornelius Hodgson, ran an outfit which cured herrings in the 1870s.

Samuel’s son, William Thomas Hodgson, followed in his father’s footsteps, interrupted in 1914 when German Zeppelin raids on Hartlepool destroyed the family’s smokehouse. 

William found alternative employment in the local steelworks, but that didn’t last long – by 1916, the call of the sea had proved too much, and he’d bought the premises on Whitby Street, in Hartlepool town centre, which are still occupied by Hodgson’s retail outlet today (they have a second shop in Yarm, too).

William Thomas was succeeded by William Mellen, Alan’s dad (spot a running theme here, other than fish? Alan is actually William Alan, and Peter has William as a second name, as does his son Haydn).

The company steadily grew: today it employs 50 staff, including 16 delivery drivers, and takes all the catch from seven or eight small potting boats, and around eight day trawlers in Hartlepool.

And Hodgson’s turns over some seriously huge amounts of seafood – a couple of tons of mussels a week, and maybe three tons of cod; 4,000 Lindisfarne oysters; anything up to 1,500kg of lobster a week in the summer, and 
around 500-800kg in the winter.

We’re here because Hodgson’s are James’ main supplier of fish for The Pipe and Glass Inn – in fact, James reckons, they’re the main suppliers for 99% of the region’s top restaurants.

“When you’re running a restaurant like ours, you need a whole package of things from your suppliers," he says. “Fish is a difficult one – we need to take into account sustainability, and local produce; but we also need 
our supplier to be able to guarantee quality and consistency of supply. Hodgson’s can do all of that.

“I’m also a firm believer in building relationships, and loyalty – which goes both ways, of course – and I’ve known Alan now for over 10 years, since before we opened the Pipe and Glass. His dry sense of humour helps, 
too!"
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The processing plant on Hartlepool’s Headland is a hive of activity. The admin offices are there, but there are also tanks alive with lobsters and crabs; a huge walk-in unit churning out tons of ice for packing the fish; 
a smoking unit – and in the middle of it all, the filleters, hard at work.
Hodgson’s policy is clearly not just supplying the best, but employing the best – filleter Andy Barker gives us a demonstration of how to turn a two-foot long salmon into a pair of perfectly turned fillets in just seconds. His skills have won him awards, including several placings in last year’s British Fish Craft Champion.ships.

With fisherman John Mekins, Alan also takes us on a guided tour of one of the local trawlers which exclusively supply Hodgson’s. It’s an eye-opener – the cramped two-man day boat leaves Hartlepool at around 3am, returning 12 hours later with its catch. 

As James points out, fish isn’t always the cheapest option on the menu – but when you consider the stages it has to go through before it arrives on the diner’s plate, it increasingly looks like a delicious bargain.


PUBLISHED :November 2014
TAGS : MEET THE PRODUCERFOODAUTUMNWINTER
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food served
Please see below for Christmas opening hours

monday 
closed all day
tuesday
12 – 14.00 / 17.30 – 21.30 pm
wednesday
12 – 14.00 / 17.30 – 21.30 pm
thursday
12 – 14.00 / 17.30 – 21.30 pm
friday
12 – 14.00 / 17.30 – 21.30 pm
saturday
12 – 14.00 / 17.30 – 21.30 pm
sunday
12 – 16.00 pm
(TUES-SAT 2-4pm: afternoon savouries menu served in the bar area)

BAR OPEN

monday 
closed all day
tuesday
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wednesday
12 - 23.00 pm
thursday
12 - 23.00 pm
friday
12 - 23.00 pm
saturday
12 - 23.00 PM
sunday
12 - 18.00 PM

WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND PRE-BOOKING FOR THE RESTAURANT HOWEVER, WE DO NOT TAKE RESERVATIONS FOR THE BAR, WHERE GUESTS ARE WELCOME TO ‘WALK-IN’ FOR BOTH DRINKS AND DINING.

WE WILL BE CLOSED FOR OUR ANNUAL WINTER BREAK FROM 1ST JANUARY 2025, RE-OPENING ON THE 17TH JANUARY 2025
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01430 810 246
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pipe and glass
west end
south dalton
beverley
east yorkshire
hu17 7pn

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FOOD SERVED
BAR OPEN
Monday 16th
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12:00-23:00
Wednesday 18th
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Saturday 28th
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WE WILL BE CLOSED FOR OUR WINTER BREAK FROM IST JANUARY 2025. REOPENING ON FRIDAY I7TH JANUARY 2025