Seafish, the public body which supports the £10bn UK seafood industry, is working with businesses and other partners across the country to celebrate in Seafood Week 2019 (4-11 October).
By championing their seafood offering, restaurants, bars, cafes and retailers will help to promote the huge range of fresh, quality seafood available in the UK and encourage consumers to make fish the dish more often.
The campaign responds to research which reveals that 72% of people don’t know that two portions a week is the recommended intake for optimum health benefits, while 32% state cost is a barrier to eating more fish.
In this 5th year of Seafood Week, now known as the UK’s biggest seafood promotion campaign, participating businesses are helping to debunk these myths, sharing inspiration on ways to buy, cook and dine out on great seafood easily and affordably, at their premises and via their communication channels.
Marcus Coleman, CEO of Seafish said: “Every year we aim to build on the success of previous campaigns, and this year we’re thrilled to have the backing of so many industry figures across retail and foodservice to help us spread the word about the benefits of this delicious superfood. Seafood is an incredibly versatile ingredient, it’s convenient, easy to cook, and delicious. It’s also a complete source of protein and packed with essential vitamins, minerals and healthy omega 3 fatty acids, which have been proven to boost cognitive function.
“There is a huge variety of fish and shellfish on offer in the UK, which doesn’t often make it on to customers’ shopping lists. This year we will also be turning the spotlight on some of the species such as mackerel, plaice, hake and mussels, providing inspiration on how to use these when cooking at home.
Regional activities, supported by Seafish, for Seafood Week include:
– Grimsby Fishing Heritage Centre, North East Lincolnshire – a week of serving up free seafood samples from smoked haddock fishcakes to prawns, mackerel and fish fingers (4-11th October)
– Sardine BBQ, Mevagissey Harbour, Cornwall (5th October)
– Spotlight on Seafood, City of Glasgow College (11th October)
– Cardiff Bay Seafood Pop-up, Cardiff – seafood cookery demonstrations and tasters plus fresh fish and chips (8 October)
– Grŵp Llandrillo-Menai, Wales – Seafood masterclasses and Seafood Chef competition, followed by a special evening dinner showcasing locally sourced seafood (9th October)
– St George’s Market, Belfast, Northern Ireland – seafood activities from 4-6th October including cookery demonstrations, fish filleting demonstration, and live music in collaboration with Belfast City Council and Food NI
– Billingsgate Fish Market, London – a week of seafood promotion including recipe giveaways, seafood preparation skills demonstrations (4-11th October)
CJ Jackson, Principal of the Seafood School at Billingsgate, said “A core part of my work at the Seafood School and my role as a Seafish Ambassador is to promote the fabulous array of fish and shellfish available in the UK. Seafood Week is definitely a highlight in the calendar – it’s really fantastic to see the whole industry come together to get everyone talking about the delicious fish and shellfish available and all the great ways you can cook, eat and enjoy it.”
Roy Brett, Head Chef at Ondine, Edinburgh is a supporter of Seafood Week 2019: “My restaurant business is based around celebration of quality Scottish produce, seafood in particular. So, Seafood Week is something I will always get behind. Fish doesn’t need to be expensive or complicated to cook – it’s about making it accessible for people to make at home, and when they dine out showcasing the variety of species available fresh, on our doorstep.”
To help businesses spread the word, Seafish has created a marketing toolkit inclusive of ideas for how to get involved, which can be downloaded from the Seafish website.
Share your own inspiration to help customers make fish is the dish by posting on your social media channels using the #seafoodweek
