Sustainable Fish City workshop for chefs

Sustainable seafood was the flavour of the day at the Billingsgate Seafood Training school on 2 March 2011, when over 40 chefs, caterers and restaurateurs attended a sell-out event jointly organised by Ethical Eats and the Good Catch sustainable seafood initiative, with the support of Sustainable Fish City.

The training day started with an early morning tour of Billingsgate Fish Market, where chefs got the chance to meet seafood traders and see the incredible range of fish and shellfish on offer at the market.

Attendees were also put to the test with a blind tasting, and challenged to ‘name that species’ – not as easy as it sounds! Beautifully prepared by the staff at the Seafood Training School, some lesser-loved fish species such as dab and gurnard proved popular with the chefs, who said they’d be interested in trying them out on their menus as tasty and often cost-effective alternatives to popular species that are currently under pressure – cod, haddock, salmon et al.

With the chance to meet suppliers and put questions to experts from Good Catch, the Marine Stewardship Council and the Sustainable Fish City campaign, the event gave chefs and restaurateurs a solid grounding in sustainable fish, to help them make better choices as to which fish to put on their menus. The morning was rounded off with sustainable kedgeree brunch using smoked coley – rather delicious food for thought…

Places on this course were strictly limited, to ensure an in-depth and useful learning experience. The event took place 8am-noon, Wednesday 2nd March 2011 (with optional market tour 6.30-8am) at Billingsgate Seafood Training School, Billingsgate Market, Trafalgar Way, London E14 5ST.

The half-day workshop on sustainable seafood featured:

• an optional tour of Billingsgate Market (for the early risers amongst you)
• an introduction to the issues from Good Catch
• a tasting of alternative, underutilised and sustainable species
• some ideas for how you can be a part of the solution with the Sustainable Fish City campaign
• a networking brunch

Feedback from chefs who attended the day was very positive, including the following responses:

• "I now feel informed and inspired to try new species and be more adventurous with my menu"
• "After today's workshop I'm determined to write fish sustainability into my business"
• "I am already planning menu changes - this workshop has really helped"

Attendance cost £25 per head, or £15 for Sustainable Restaurant Association and London Food Link members. More photos from the day can be viewed on Flickr.

The event also saw the launch of the Top Ten Fish Swaps for restaurants, which can be downloaded downloaded here in pdf format. The Sustainable Fish City Top Ten Swaps can also be viewed online. Try out sustainable fish alternatives, and give endangered species a break!