PGI
Arbroath Smokies
Arbroath Smokies is a registered Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) on the UK register. The name is protected in law: a product cannot be sold under it unless it meets the registered specification.
What the register says
- Registered name
- Arbroath Smokies
- Status
- Registered
- Protection type
- Protected Geographical Indication (PGI)
- Register
- Foods: designated origin and geographical indication
- Class or category of product
- 1.7 Fresh fish, molluscs, and crustaceans and products derived therefrom
- Country of origin
- United Kingdom
- Date of registration (UK scheme)
- 31 December 2020
- Original EU registration
- 2 March 2004
- Reason for protection
- UK geographical indication from before 2021
What we’ve written about it
Haddock
Buying, seasonality and cooking guide.
Arbroath Smokies: What They Are, How to Eat Them, and Why the Name Is Protected
Hot-smoked haddock tied in pairs and smoked over hardwood in a barrel. What makes a smokie a smokie, how to serve one, and the PGI that protects the name.
Cullen Skink Recipe: What It Is and Why It Beats Chowder
Cullen skink is Scotland's great fish soup — smoked haddock, potato, onion, milk. What the name means, the proper recipe, the mistakes that ruin it, and where it comes from.
Source: Arbroath Smokies on the UK protected food and drink names register, read 7 September 2026. Full register: gov.uk/protected-food-drink-names.