On the 10th and 11th October, over 150 local high school pupils came to the King’s Lynn campus to learn how to prepare different types of fish. The event was organised by the college in conjunction with the Seafood School at Billingsgate Fish Market to celebrate seafood week, which ran from the 5th – 12th October.
Over the course of two days, there were 8 one-hour long sessions with over 150 high school students from Springwood High School, Downham Academy, Marshland High School and The Peel Community College participating in the event.
During the one-hour long sessions, Ronnie Peachman, a former blockman, who worked at Billingsgate Market for 46 years, demonstrated how to prepare many different types of fish, from gurner and plaice to hake, squid and scallops. He also showed the pupils how to fillet, trim and gut the fish, as well as discussing different fishing practices and issues of sustainability.
Pupils also had the opportunity to fillet their own mackerel under the watchful eye of Ronnie. Students were invited try the different types of fish Ronnie had prepared earlier, and the college's catering and hospitality students had cooked.
Nicky Thompson, a GCSE teacher at Springwood High School said of the event: “As part of their GCSE they have to learn about food provenance - now we’re learning about fish and sustainable fishing practices. For their food preparation learning, they are learning how to fillet and skin fish, so this event is an amazing opportunity for them, not only to get some first-hand experience but also to taste test lots of different fish they wouldn’t normally get an opportunity to try.
This is the fourth year that the event has been held at the King’s Lynn campus. It was delivered in conjunction with the Seafood School, which is based at Billingsgate Market in London, and aims to deliver specialist fish training to retailers, restaurants and other organisations and individuals within the fishing industry. The Seafood School reinvests all profits from their specialist courses to fund free, educational courses for young people. By providing free and educational courses, their hope is that it will encourage young people and those wanting to change career to consider the seafood industry.
Jonathan Boyall, who organised the event recognised the need to get young people involved and inspired by events like these. He said: “Considering the huge shortage of chefs in the area, this is an ideal opportunity to get young people involved in learning about fantastic local ingredients, in terms of all the fish on offer around Norfolk’s coastline, and get them excited and inspired by the potential of what you can achieve with these amazing ingredients.”
Ronnie Peachman, who delivered the workshops, worked for a number of Billingsgate fishmongers during his 46-year career as a blockman and salesman. He retired from Billingsgate Market in 2015 and he now works part-time, teaching workshops at schools and giving demonstrations at fish and food fares all over the country.
He said “The kids have been great, they’ve all got very involved, they’ve all tried the fish, and have learnt a lot today. Many children are afraid of trying different types of fish, but then I come and show them how to fillet them. My one condition is that everyone must at least touch it and try it, too. We fillet it together so it’s all very hands on and it really gets the children involved and takes away that fear of fish that many of them have.”
Pupils also had the opportunity to fillet their own mackerel under the watchful eye of Ronnie. Students were invited try the different types of fish Ronnie had prepared earlier, and the college's catering and hospitality students had cooked.
Nicky Thompson, a GCSE teacher at Springwood High School said of the event: “As part of their GCSE they have to learn about food provenance - now we’re learning about fish and sustainable fishing practices. For their food preparation learning, they are learning how to fillet and skin fish, so this event is an amazing opportunity for them, not only to get some first-hand experience but also to taste test lots of different fish they wouldn’t normally get an opportunity to try.
This is the fourth year that the event has been held at the King’s Lynn campus. It was delivered in conjunction with the Seafood School, which is based at Billingsgate Market in London, and aims to deliver specialist fish training to retailers, restaurants and other organisations and individuals within the fishing industry. The Seafood School reinvests all profits from their specialist courses to fund free, educational courses for young people. By providing free and educational courses, their hope is that it will encourage young people and those wanting to change career to consider the seafood industry.
Jonathan Boyall, who organised the event recognised the need to get young people involved and inspired by events like these. He said: “Considering the huge shortage of chefs in the area, this is an ideal opportunity to get young people involved in learning about fantastic local ingredients, in terms of all the fish on offer around Norfolk’s coastline, and get them excited and inspired by the potential of what you can achieve with these amazing ingredients.”
Ronnie Peachman, who delivered the workshops, worked for a number of Billingsgate fishmongers during his 46-year career as a blockman and salesman. He retired from Billingsgate Market in 2015 and he now works part-time, teaching workshops at schools and giving demonstrations at fish and food fares all over the country.
He said “The kids have been great, they’ve all got very involved, they’ve all tried the fish, and have learnt a lot today. Many children are afraid of trying different types of fish, but then I come and show them how to fillet them. My one condition is that everyone must at least touch it and try it, too. We fillet it together so it’s all very hands on and it really gets the children involved and takes away that fear of fish that many of them have.”
“I hope that by holding workshops like these, we can encourage children to cook and eat more fish. If I do that then I’ve succeeded. I’ve had 46 years in the fish trade and I’ve done every job there is, and I’ve made a good living out of it, so it’s just a matter of giving back.”
