It’s that time of the year again; the nights are drawing in, the thermometer’s plunging and the leaves are turning. Everyone’s favourite annual event is just on the horizon – we’re talking, of course, about the latest Culinary Classroom cohort!
The course is now in its third year and there are exciting changes afoot, not least because we’ll now be joined by chefs from Catering Academy, Servest’s latest culinary acquisition. We’re delighted they’ll be with us on the course because it proves the perfect platform for collaboration and gives our chefs a brilliant opportunity to get some insight into areas and sectors that they may not have had exposure to in the past.
So, we found ourselves up bright (or should that be dark?) and early to catch the traders at Billingsgate Fish Market and to immerse ourselves into the fabulous world of fish.
We were hosted on the day by The Seafood School at Billingsgate with the support of our seafood partners, Seafood Direct. The day began with a tour around the market itself, just as trading was wrapping up for the day (at a time when most of us are still fast asleep). We then went back to the school to grab some breakfast which was, fittingly, a huge warming pot of kedgeree.
The rest of the morning was split between two educational pieces; sustainability information from Seafood Direct and then a filleting masterclass put on by the school. Sustainability is so important to us in general, but is of utmost importance when it comes to seafood. Ensuring we have sustainable stocks is not only paramount for today, but also is greatly important for the future.
One of the pillars of our Culinary Classroom programme is to arm our chefs with new craft skills and to help fuel their passion for quality produce, and the filleting session is a prime example of that. The chance to learn and work with experts in their field allows them to bring new ideas back to their restaurants and our customers’ plates.
After the filleting masterclass, it was a chance to get into the kitchen with Rhys and Matt and to get creative – and we’ll let them explain what happened:
The chefs really excelled, producing some fantastic dishes and we can’t wait to see the impact they have back out in our business. Everyone left the session enthused and with a real desire to see what’s coming next, so watch this space!
