Arbroath haddock using traditional methods dating back to the late 19th century where the fish are first salted overnight to preserve them, before being left tied in pairs to dry. Next, the dried fish are hung in a special barrel containing a hardwood fire and covered with a lid. After around an hour of smoking, the fish are golden brown and ready to eat. The preparation of smokies remains a cottage industry in Arbroath, centred almost exclusively at the harbour area. However, one larger processor, RR Spink, supplied Arbroath smokies to several UK supermarket chains. It appears that, nowadays, the firm
Arbroath to be the source of the sails used on the "Cutty Sark". In 1867, the mills in Arbroath employed 4,620 people. Arbroath was also prominent in the manufacture of shoes and lawnmowers; local firm Alexander Shanks founded in 1840 and based at Dens Iron Works, supplied mowers to the Old Course at St Andrews and the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Shanks was taken over in the 1960s by another major local firm, Giddings & Lewis-Fraser Ltd. This company had evolved from the business of Douglas Fraser, established in 1832 and mainly concerned with manufacturing flax and canvas.