A visit to the Western Isles by European seafood buyers has been hailed a success by island businesses today (Thursday 10 March).

Seafood Scotland hosted a week-long tasting trip to the islands for buyers from European countries including Germany, Spain and Italy, all very well-informed about the seafood curing and smoking industry.

The group were this morning at Stornoway Smokehouse, having already sampled the fare at Uig Lodge, where they breakfasted on smoked salmon and scrambled eggs.

Lunch was at the Harbour Kitchen restaurant, where they had a tasting menu of smoked mackerel, salmon and scallops, all from local producers and smoked at Stornoway Smokehouse.

Earlier in the week the party were in Uist, where they met producers including Kallin Shellfish in Grimsay and Salar in South Uist and complementary industries including the North Uist Distillery at Nunton Steadings and Charlie's Bistro near Balivanich, part of Salar Salmon.

The party was hosted by Seafood Scotland, who aim to champion the excellence of Scottish seafood, showcasing authentic stories from the heart of one of Scotland's oldest and most important industries.

Ranald Fraser of Stornoway Smokehouse said: “The group were very engaged and they absolutely loved the old bit of the smokehouse, which they said was exactly how they imagined a smokehouse in the Hebrides would be.

“Seafood Scotland has been very pleased with the trip and a second group of buyers is to visit the islands later this year as part of a wider Scotland tour.”

The pictures show the European party outside Stornoway Smokehouse this morning and during a tasting session at Charlie's Bistro in Benbecula on Tuesday.