Enter the Seafish Restaurant of the Year 2015 competition

Seafood authority, Seafish, has launched their latest quest to find the Seafood Restaurant of the Year. The competition, running between January and June is open to all restaurants with fish and shellfish on the menu in the UK, excluding the Channel Islands and Isle of Man. 

As consumers in the UK spend £3 billion a year on seafood in restaurants, the competition to find the best establishment in the country will be no mean feat. Entrants will be shortlisted to ten restaurants, which will then be visited by a mystery judge. The group will be whittled down to five in a bid to find the UK’s best seafood restaurant.

The panel of judges will feature some of the UK’s leading chefs and industry professionals. The panel will feature John Campbell – chef and managing director at The Woodspeen in Newbury, Atul Kochhar – chef and managing director of Benares Restaurant & Bar in London, Alfred Prasad – director cuisine and executive chef of Tamarind Collection and Zaika in London, Andre Garrett – executive head chef at Cliveden House in Taplow, Xavier Rousset – co-founder of Texture and 28°-50° restaurants in London, Will Smith – owner of Arbutus and Wild Honey restaurants in London and Giovanna Grossi FIH, AA Hotel Services group area manager.

The final five will be announced in June. All five will have the chance to attend a study trip to Brixham in Devon, where they will learn about the catching, processing and supply of seafood from the South West of the UK. The all-expenses paid trip will offer an opportunity for the finalists to meet some of the biggest names in the industry, as well as sample some of the finest seafood Britain has to offer.

To determine the final five, judges are looking to see sustainable fish on the menu, great product knowledge in both front and back of house, how the restaurant encourages younger diners to eat fish and how successfully the seafood is promoted on the menu.

Finalists will all be invited to an awards ceremony in London where the national winner will be announced. A number of prizes are available, such as a seafood masterclass cookery course at Billingsgate Seafood Training School as well as vouchers for cooking equipment and a number of signed cookery books.

The new competition will showcase some of the best restaurants and cafés at the heart of the UK’s seafood scene.

For more information about the award and eligibility, visit Seafish’s website.

by Ashley Chalmers

Watch Andre Garett create a mackerel dish here: