|
Fishermen
employing environmentally friendly fishing techniques and a school's
campaign to ensure kids learn to love healthy seafood were just two
of the award winners at the recent glittering Seafood Awards ceremony
in London.
Organised by
industry body Seafish, this year's Seafood Awards attracted a record
number of entries in 16 different awards categories highlighting the
determination of the seafood industry to develop sustainably and to
raise standards.
Held every two
years, there were a number of new award categories for 2007,
including the Sustainable Future Award, the UK Seafood Chef of the
Year and the Schools Supporting Seafood Award.
The winner of
the hotly contested Sustainable Future Award was the South West
Handline Fishermen's Association and Seafood Cornwall for their
Handline Bass and Pollack Tagging Scheme. The scheme allows consumers
to recognise handline- caught fish and even enables them to find out
which fisherman has caught that fish. The judges felt that the
concept was worthy of the award for its strong sustainability message
with top quality traceability.
Cornish
line-caught seabass also won an award for Morrisons in the Best
Whitefish Seafood Product category.
Andrew
Dewar-Durie, Seafish Chairman said: "We were amazed by the
number and range of entries for the Sustainable Future Award, which
came from all corners of the industry - from restaurants to
processors, and fishing boats to multiple retailers. This response
really demonstrates our industry's commitment to sustainability from
sea right through to plate."
Winner of the
Schools Supporting Seafood Award was Bradford Primary School in
Holsworthy, Devon. School cook Lucy Johns was recognised for her
crusade to ensure all children at the school learn to love seafood.
She carefully selects the fish she uses in school meals, always
keeping the tastes of young children and the nutritional content in mind.
Waitrose
scooped the Seafood Multiple Retailer of the Year Award and Somerset
fishmonger Don Jones Fresh Fish won the Seafood Independent Retailer
of the Year award.
Other award
winners included Shetland-based Johnson Sustainable Seafoods in the
Aquaculture Producer category, well-known for being the world's first
producer of organic farmed cod. Stefan Glinski's Fresh & Freeze
Company in Cornwall won
the Catching
for the Market Award for its range of enlightened fishing policies
including 'fishing to order'.
UK Seafood
Chef of the Year was Jim Cowie of The Captain's Galley Restaurant in
Scrabster, Caithness, whose dishes are made from sustainable seafood
caught in season and sourced from within a 50-mile radius of the
restaurant. The WestBeach Restaurant in Bournemouth won the Seafood
Restaurant of the Year Award, with the Seaforth Inn in Ullapool being
voted best Seafood Pub.
The Seafood
Awards 2007 also brought real success for the UK's biggest seafood
company, Young's Seafood. Not only was it a winner in one of the Best
Seafood Award Product categories, but it also won the prestigious
Outstanding Achievement Award for its contribution to the industry.
The awards
ceremony was held in London at the Marriott Hotel in Grosvenor Square.
top
|
