Seafood
Rich diversity
Smokey and tender Northumberland Craster kippers, the hustle and bustle of Cornish fish markets and the divine temptations of Whitstable shellfish accompanied with a glass of fresh English sparkling wine at one of its bustling beachside restaurants. These experiences, and many more, combine to celebrate the rich diversity of British seafood today.
Seafood 'foodies'
Britain is a country with a strong association with the sea and its abundant seafood and where better to try this than in the many popular seafood restaurants that now criss-cross the land. Padstow made famous by chef, Rick Stein, has become a haven to seafood 'foodies' as they make their way to sample his seafood menu of Padstow lobster, cod and English Turbot, to name but a few.
Fish and chips
Britain is famous for some great seafood traditions and what better dish that of good old fish and chips. No one really knows how it all started but it has become one of the most popular dishes loved by visitors and generations of British families. Fish and chips has also become very fashionable at some of our top restaurants and pubs as leading chefs create their own version of posh fish and chips. As you travel around the country you will find many different popular regional variations of this dish featuring whiting in Scotland to skate in the South of England.
Seafood producers
Why not get closer to the seafood experience and pay a visit to some of the many seafood producers and artisans around Britain such as the Weald Smokery at Flimwell in East Sussex, where they smoke salmon and other delicacies over slow fires of oak logs harvested in nearby forests. The growing number of markets and seafood festivals also give you a further opportunity to sample these many delicacies from the ever popular weekly Borough Market in the heart of London to the leading oyster festivals of Falmouth, Hillsborough, Whitstable, Colchester, Anglesey, Arbroath and Weymouth.
Learn to cook
However, good you think you are in the kitchen, there are always some new tricks of the trade to learn so why not head to one of Britain's growing cookery schools specialising in seafood cuisine. Fishworks, the brain child of fishmonger and restaurateur Mitchell Tonks, has schools in Bath, Bristol, Chiswick and Christchurch. Oh... and don't forget Rick Stein's seafood school back in Padstow. These schools offer enthusiastic amateurs and budding professionals the opportunity to work alongside teams of respected chefs who will be happy to enthral and share their passion for seafood!