A family fish merchant on Scott's Road, Hatston

Jollys is a family-owned fish merchant, run by Orcadians George and Anne Stout with two of their sons working in the business, and it smokes fish in its own kiln and prepares shellfish by hand. Accounts of how long it has traded differ between published listings, so expect decades of history rather than a single figure you can quote.

The address is Scott's Road, Hatston, Kirkwall KW15 1GR, on the industrial estate with free parking outside.

The smoked side now trades as The Orkney Smokehouse, the name given to the smoked products made by Jollys, so do not be thrown if the branding on a pack differs from the shop sign. Both names point to the same counter.

Getting there from Kirkwall town centre

Hatston sits on the industrial estate north of the centre, on the road toward the ferry terminal, and the shop has free parking outside. If you are on foot, it is a roadside walk of a couple of miles rather than a stroll, so most people drive or stop en route to or from the boat.

Set expectations before you arrive: this is a working merchant with a counter and shelves, not a visitor centre with tastings or displays. Come knowing roughly what you want, and ask at the counter what is in that day rather than expecting a browsing experience.

Opening hours follow shop rather than attraction patterns, currently Monday to Friday 8.30am to 4.30pm and Saturday 9am to 2pm. Confirm the current times before making a special trip, particularly out of season and around public holidays.

What to buy: smoked salmon, hot cure and mackerel

The core of the shop is fresh and smoked fish: traditionally cured smoked salmon, a hot cured salmon that is kiln-smoked and then roasted so it can be served warm or cold, smoked mackerel and kippers, plus shellfish. The hand-sliced smoked salmon has a two-star Great Taste award, and the smoked range carries the Orkney Smokehouse label.

Online product listings show smoked salmon and smoked mackerel sold in the region of ten to thirteen pounds, which is indicative only; check the shop's own site or the counter for what is actually charged on the day.

If you are self-catering or stocking a boat, the practical buys are a sliced side of cold smoked salmon, a pack of hot cure to warm through, and mackerel that needs no cooking at all. Ask how the fish is packed if you are carrying it onward.

The wider Orkney larder on the shelves

Beyond fish, the shop stocks other Orkney produce: cheese, meats, oatcakes, biscuits and Orkney Fudge, assembled into hampers for the ferry or the drive. That makes it a sensible single stop if you want a picnic or a gift rather than a full food shop.

For cheese specifically, the shop carries Orkney cheese alongside the fish and the other Orkney larder lines, so it can double as a deli stop.

How long to allow, and when to go

Fifteen to thirty minutes covers most visits: a look along the counter, a couple of questions, a purchase and back out. There is no queue management or timed entry, so the constraint is simply how busy the counter is when you arrive.

Weekday mornings are the least rushed time if you want to ask about what is smoking, and Saturdays are shorter, so do not leave it late in the day. Check the current times before you set out, since a wasted detour to an industrial estate is a dull way to spend an hour.

The Brig Larder: the town-centre deli

Jollys fish is also sold at The Brig Larder, a Kirkwall deli in the town centre, which carries a range of the fish alongside Orkney Fudge, cheese, oatcakes and meat. If you are exploring on foot without a car, this is the easier way to buy without heading out to Hatston.

Treat the two as different stops with different strengths: the Hatston shop for the full fish counter and hampers, the deli for a quick town-centre purchase alongside other Orkney produce. Neither replaces the other on a short trip.

Buying to take home: hampers and mail order

Hampers and Orkney produce can be ordered for delivery across the UK, so you do not have to carry everything on the ferry. If you are flying, mail order is the practical route for smoked fish, since checked luggage and warm cars are unkind to it.

For the journey itself, cold smoked and vacuum-packed fish travels better than hot cure or shellfish; if you are driving off the islands, a cool bag is worth packing. Ask at the counter how each item should be stored and how long it keeps.

Fitting Hatston into a Kirkwall day

The shop pairs naturally with the town's drink stops: Highland Park distillery on Holm Road sits within Kirkwall and the Orkney brewery lies out on the island's west side, so a Hatston stop can bookend either.

Scapa distillery is on the edge of town toward Scapa Flow and is another short hop if you are already driving north, and a meal in town afterwards rounds things off neatly.

For the named pubs and food stops with a guide of their own, see Kirkwall pubs and food landmarks.

Is the Hatston shop worth the detour?

Yes, if you want smoked fish or an Orkney hamper and you have a car or are passing on the way to the ferry; no, if you are on foot and short of time, in which case the town-centre deli does the job. Treat it as a provisions stop of half an hour at most, not a destination in its own right.

Check the current opening times before you go, decide whether you are buying to carry or to post, and buy the smoked salmon and mackerel if you buy nothing else.