During the Second World War, as sources of protein became increasingly rare, the British Government came up with the idea of importing millions of tins of Snoek from South Africa.

It proved to be disastrously unpopular leaving tons of snoek unconsumed after the War. This is the story of the British population’s experience of tinned snoek and what the British Government did to get rid of the vast quantities that remained unconsumed.

While Snoek is much liked and eaten in South Africa, the product that arrived in Britain had been processed in such a way and placed in a brine that made it very different to that enjoyed in South Africa.