Tell me about the fish

At SoleShare we're big on freshness, most of our fish is with our members within a day or two of it being caught. Sometimes weather gets in the way of this, but we work really hard to get you the freshest fish possible. All our fish is fresh, never frozen. The majority of our fish comes direct from the fisherman, avoiding large wholesalers. It’s off the boat and straight to you!

We operate a whole catch ethos, meaning we buy in a wide range of species rather than cherry picking the well known, often overfished species. We think this is a more sustainable way of doing business. As fishermen catch different species every day and throughout the year, you'll be getting a variety of seafood throughout the season. So sometimes you may get a great deal on a premium fish, and other times you may pay a premium for a lower value (but equally delicious) species.

We have three different share types: 'Whole Fish' and 'Filleted’ and ‘Chef-Prepped’

Whole Fish

When we first started, all our fish came whole. While some people love this, it isn't for everyone. Almost all the fish will be unfilleted, sometimes not gutted and will still have a head. All flatfish are gutted (it is standard practice for flatfish to be gutted onboard the boat). We almost always cook our fish whole and will supply you with a recipe every week showing you how to do it (for more recipes, see the fish page).

Whole Fish Share Size

You're buying a share of a fisherman's catch. We have three different share sizes 1/2kg, 1kg, 2kg. We say that 1/2kg will usually yield two portions. As an example you'll get 2 average sized mackerel in 1/2 kg portion - so plenty for 2 meals. 

Unfortunately fish don’t come in rounded metric units. They vary in size and weight and individual species also vary in their yields (i.e. how much meat is on the bone). We use 500 grams as a loose measure. Some weeks you may receive 650g, others 450g. If we're ever over, it's our treat and if we're ever under, we'll make sure we make it up to you on your next collection.  

Occasionally, when our fisherman catch very large fish, we may give you fillets or steaks. When you fillet a cod weighing 2kg you’re left with just over 1 kilo of fillets and just under a kilo of bones, fins and head. So when we give you fillets we deal in portions rather than weights, just bare in mind, they won’t weigh as much as your regular share.

Your share will be wrapped in parchment and bagged for you. If you are traveling a long way, you may want to bring an insulated bag to keep your share cool. Our fish will keep happily in the fridge for 3 days and freezes well.

 

Filleted fish

The ‘filleted’ share includes fish that have been cleaned & fully prepared for cooking. Most fish will be filleted, fish unsuitable for filleting (e.g Dover sole, skate, huss etc) will be prepared and ready to cook. This is a great option for those of you who want a quicker more convenient option. It can go straight from the pack into the pan.

Filleted fish Share Size

With the filleted option, we're a bit more flexible when it comes to share sizes. We buy whole fish off our fishermen and then fillet them down. When filleting fish, we tend lose quite a lot of weight in the head and body that are thrown away (but we've paid for). It means we have to buy in a bit more fish to account for this (hence the higher price for the filleted share). We take a single 'portion' to mean 150 grams of filleted fish (ie the 2 portion share will include 300g of filleted fish).

Your share will either be vacumn packed or sealed in a kraft paper package. If you are traveling a long way, you may want to bring an insulated bag to keep your share cool. Our fish will keep happily in the fridge for 3 days and freezes well.

Chef-prepped share

This is a fully prepared, oven-ready share. This share showcases your choice of either whole or filleted fish, prepared with fresh, organic and seasonal ingredients according to a new recipe each week. Shares will be fully assembled, packed in parchment and oven-ready. All ingredients used in our recipes are sourced from local producers including Growing Communities and Get Loose

Our in-house chef has designed a selection of mouth watering recipes to compliment the range of fish our fishers catch. We’ll be switching up our recipes on a seasonal basis to make the most of the ingredients we get our hands on. Recipes will rotate each week so you can expect a changing selection over the course of each month.

Collections

Where do I pick up my fish?

We currently have ten London pickup locations with more coming soon. You choose a primary pickup hub when you sign up.  All of our pickup hubs are shown here. Some of our pickup hubs are staffed by us, others are staffed by our hosts. You'll get them same catch regardless!

We have partnered with some great businesses to host our SoleShare pickup hubs. They are however just our hosts and SoleShare is completely independent from them. If you are unable to collect your share, have a question about pick up hours or other, please contact us and NOT the venue.

If you know you can’t make it to a collection one week, please let us know so we can rearrange things for you. We just ask that you inform us by EMAIL no later then 9am Friday, the week before your collection. If you fail to inform us in time and do not collect your fish during the set pickup times we’ll make sure your fish goes to a good home, but you will be charged for it. At this stage we will have already ordered and paid for your fish. Any fish that is not collected by the end of the pickup will be given away at the end of the day. You will not be able to collect your share at a later date. We hope you understand.

If you can’t collect your fish, you have a number of options:

a. Send a friend or family member
The simplest and most popular option - you can always send a friend, housemate or family member to collect your share, just get them to say your name at the pickup hub. You don’t even need to tell us beforehand!

b. Collect from a different venue
We operate on Wednesdays and Thursdays in and around North/East London. If you’d like to collect your share from a different pickup hub one week, just let us know by 9am Fridays the week before your collection.

c. Swap weeks
If you collect your fish fortnightly and would like to collect your share two weeks in a row, this isn’t a problem, just let us know by 9am Fridays the week before your collection.

d. Collect a double share next time
If you’re away one week and you’d like to skip a week and collect double next time, it’s not problem, just let us know by 9am Fridays the week before your collection.

If you simply forget on the day, sorry, there’s nothing we can do. 

deliveries

Starting May 2022, we will be offering a home delivery option to those living in postcodes N1, E3 and E9 in London, UK. Deliveries will go out on Thursdays, between 4-7pm.

Fish will be well packed and chilled during transport. When we arrive at member address, if member is home we will simply handover package directly to you.

If you are NOT home when we arrive, you have 2 options. When you register with us and select home deliveries, you will be able to let us know your preference in the event that you are not home when we deliver your fish.

Option 1, we can leave your fish for you in a chilled cool bag at your door. Your fish will be safe for safe for a maximum of 2 hours. Please only select this option if you know you will be home to retrieve your fish within this time frame! We cannot be responsible for fish left beyond the 2 hour window.

Option 2, we can leave your fish with an immediate neighbour. Please specify your neighbour’s address when signing up.

Delivery charges - home deliveries are charged at £3 per delivery. This charge will be added to your monthly GoCardless charge. For example if you are a fortnightly customer, you will be charged £6/month (assuming a 4 week month) in addition to your share price.

Cool bag deposit- a refundable £5 charge will be added to your initial payment to cover the cost of our reusable cool bags. We will track use and return of the cool bags. If bags have been returned to us, this charge will be refunded when a member cancels their subscription.

Will I get a text telling me what time my fish will arrive? If you opted in for a free text reminder when signing up then we will send you a complementary text reminder on your scheduled delivery day, however we are unable to pinpoint an exact delivery time. Please expect your fish between 4-7pm on your delivery day. Please note, that our text software is not perfect. If for some reason you do not receive a text reminder, please don’t assume your fish isn’t coming! If there is any change to your delivery, we will either call you or send you an email to confirm.

How do payments work?

When you sign up, you set up a simple direct debit with our payment handlers at GoCardless. Our prices are based on 4 week months, occasionally there are 5 weeks in a month, in which case you'll be charged for the extra collection that month.

Upcoming months with five Wednesdays are March 2022, June 2022, August 2022, November 2022.

Upcoming months with five Thursdays March 2022, June 2022, September 2022, December 2022.

Please note that payments are processed on the 1st of each month however you are welcome to join us anytime. If you join us mid-month, we will simply charge you for the remaining number of collections you are due for that month. After which point your monthly subscription will kick in and your payments will be debited on the first of the month going forward. If you have any questions about this, do get in touch!

Why do you take rolling monthly payments?

A small monthly commitment from each of our members translates into a big deal to our fishermen. It means we can provide a stable and consistent market for their catch. That's why we take payments on a rolling monthly basis.

I'm going on holiday, can I put a hold on my account?

If you're going away for 2 weeks or more you must tell us the month before your holiday (no later than the 25th of the month) what your away dates are. We will adjust your schedule and ensure you are not charged during your time away. For example if you are going away the first 2 weeks of November, you must inform us no later than 25th October. If you fail to inform us in time we will do our best to adjust your schedule for you (i.e send you a double share on your return), but you will not be refunded.

what do i do if i want to cancel my membership?

When you first sign up to SoleShare, you pay for your entire first month of seafood. After your first month your membership will continue on a rolling monthly basis and your account will be debited each month for the amount you originally signed up for. If you're happy with things, you don't need to do a thing. If you do need to cancel your membership for any reason, here's what you need to do: 

  • Please send us an email saying you want to cancel. We will confirm your last collection date with you and cancel your direct debit on your behalf.

  • We ask that you complete your collections up until the end of the calendar month that you have already paid for.

  • Please let us know by 20th of the month for a cancellation to take effect by the start of the next calendar month. For example if you would like to cancel by 1st December, please let us know you want to cancel no later than 20th November. This will allow us enough time to cancel your direct debit before it is processed for the upcoming month.

There’s a storm brewing, will I still get my fish this week?

We only buy fish from inshore fishermen. Their boats are all less than 10m long and sometimes they can't get out if the weather is too rough. We work with fishermen across the country, so small localised events don’t leave us high and dry. Still, occasionally we get the tail end of a hurricane and there’s no way to get fish. We can normally give you advance warning that there won’t be any fish, but we cannot guarantee it. If you ever go without fish, rest assured, we will make it up to you by adding on an extra week to your collections, or giving you a double share on a week of your choosing.

Text reminders

You can sign up to our text reminder service which will send you a text on your collection day to remind you to collect. The text reminders are an added bonus. Unfortunately, the software is not perfect and occasionally, your number may slip through the net. If you do not receive a text message, do not assume your share has been cancelled. It is up to you to remember to collect or receive your share each week. We’ll do what we can to help, but it’s your responsibility to collect your share or be home to receive it. If for some reason you did not receive a text but you are due a collection that day, please go ahead and collect as usual. If for any reason we need to cancel your collection, you will hear from us by email - our official way of contacting you.

Shellfish

We tend to get shellfish for our members once per month (weather permitting). By shellfish we mean crustaceans (ie crab, crayfish), bivalves (mussels, oysters, clams) as well as cephalopods (squid and cuttlefish). If you are allergic to shellfish, please tick the no shellfish option on your signup form and we’ll do our best to find you some fish. 

Crustaceans (e.g. crab, lobster, langoustine) are normally cooked beforehand and you simply need to dress them at home.

If we supply you with mussels, you will receive double portions. Oysters are supplied at: 6 per 500g/2 portions and 12 per 1kg/4 portions.