Young’s Seafood has once again supported the UK Seafood Championship - a unique annual competition which aims to encourage catering students to get inventive with fish.

The final of this year’s competition was held this week at the Grimsby Institute of Further & Higher Education. The winning team were Martin Frickell and Matt Campbell of Kendal College. They were presented with their prizes by Jo Daubney, Young’s HR director, alongside acclaimed fishmonger and restaurateur, Mitch Tonks, who headed the judging panel.

The UK Seafood Championship has been running for fifteen years and is organised by the Grimsby Institute. This year it attracted 45 entries from colleges all over the country. Entrants are first shortlisted for regional heats (in April) before going forward to the national final. This year’s finalists were from Huddersfield Technical, Kendal, Blackpool & the Fylde, Bradford, Birmingham, Guernsey, Pendleton Sixth Form and Westminster Kingsway colleges.
The finalists prepared three fish dishes for six covers, to include a starter, soup and main course, all produced using fish from Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) sustainable sources.

Mitch Tonks led the judging panel alongside Ben Bartlett, Master Craftsman for the Craft Guild of Chefs, Grimsby MP Austin Mitchell, development chef, Gerry Mahood of Young’s, Steve Norton, chief executive of Grimsby Fish Merchants and Richard Wardell of the Seafish Institute Authority.

Jim Cane, managing director of Young’s said, “This is an excellent forum for young chefs, and we particularly welcome this year’s emphasis on MSC-certifed sustainable species, which is perfectly in tune with our own positive approach to responsibly sourced seafood. Young's is delighted to support the competition again and extend our congratulations to the winners.”

The winning team received a cheque for £1000, a sculptured trophy, a championship medal, cook book, carving knife and a one week training placement in either the Young’s development kitchens or a Mitchell Tonks restaurant

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For more information on the competition itself, please contact Amy Nixon, Communications Officer, The Grimsby Institute of Further & Higher Education T: 01472 311222 Ext: 446