Back on UK soil, Charlotte and Angus floated the idea of launching their own conservas, but shelved it when regular life resumed. It wasn't until 2020, with the pandemic in full swing, that they revisited it, with chef Angus, previously of London’s Trullo and Rochelle Canteen, on furlough. ‘Angus was out of the kitchen, we had two very young babies and we didn’t want him to go back,’ Charlotte says. ‘We thought ‘this is the time’, but we were so naive.’ They dived into recipe testing from home, experimenting with techniques and flavours, before investing in kit, moving production to a dark kitchen and later bringing in a food thermal processing specialist. As 2021 ticked by, the dream was fast becoming reality – they moved into a micro-cannery and at the end of the year, Sea Sisters, named after their two daughters, was born. By that point, tinned fish was on the brink of its revival – the timing might not have been planned, but it was certainly fortuitous. ‘We struck a lucky moment’, Charlotte laughs. ‘We didn't plan it – we have just always loved tinned fish. We come from traditional but foodie families; I grew up on liver and bacon and cod’s roe and smoked oysters at Christmas. We just always loved it.’ 

We might be talking about tinned fish, but Charlotte says there's an important distinction to make. Their conservas, including cuttlefish caponata; Cornish hake with rosemary and capers; and Norfolk whelks in kimchi sauce, are a different beast entirely to the tinned fish we know. They're viewed through a chef's lens, using quality British, sustainable ingredients. ‘This isn’t really about tinned fish,’ she explains. ‘We make British conservas, a quality canned product. Tinned fish is usually manufactured in factories with cheap seed oils – that's not what we do.’ When it launched, Sea Sisters became the first canned fish manufacturer in England since the 1940s (there is a cannery in Scotland, Charlotte says), a gap in the market Charlotte puts down to our culture around canned fish. ‘We don’t have the culture of enjoying it here,’ she says. ‘It’s a back-of-the-cupboard emergency food – it’s not seen as a quality and delicious meal. If you think back ten years to British charcuterie, it didn’t exist. Now, there is a massive community of people doing it and it’s a craft – that’s what we believe we are.’ 

Sea Sisters made headlines, attracting a queue of eager stockists and award wins, a dream start which enabled Charlotte and Angus to relocate their family to a craft cannery in Dorset, where they are based today. Over time, they have curated a network of independent suppliers, farmers and fishermen and women, all who share their sustainable mindset. As they immersed themselves in the industry, they found their focus growing beyond conservas. ‘I just couldn’t believe that 80% to 90% of our seafood is exported,’ Charlotte says. ‘I can’t believe that most of this locally-caught, fresh fish, on this incredible island which is rich in coastal communities, isn't actually eaten by us. It’s all taken away. Most of what we eat is imported. There’s a real disconnect in our food chain.’

By encouraging us to embrace the seafood that's on our doorstep, Charlotte and Angus hope to instil pride in what comes from our waters. 'If you look at countries like Australia, they are very proud of their seafood and fish and that respect carries on into the communities.’ That, she says, helps everyone, encouraging young people to consider careers in an industry they might otherwise dismiss. ‘Here, there isn’t anyone being excited into the industry – recruitment is on its knees.’ Sea Sisters' tins are small but mighty, and they are fast becoming the vehicle for a much bigger mission. ‘Success to us is seeing people eat their first British mussel or Norfolk whelk in kimchi sauce. We are trying to get British people excited about British fish.'