Since 1926, four generations of the same family have owned the award-winning Colmans Fish & Chip Restaurant and Takeaway in South Shields. Here owner Richard Ord tells us why sustainability is so important, and talks fish and chips weddings…
Seasonal and sustainable
Alongside my wife Frances, two sons Richard and Dominic, and over 30 loyal staff, my role is to provide the visitor and locals with the very best fish and seafood, much of which is locally caught by day boats.
A typical day begins at 8am with preparations and of course a visit to the fish quay to choose the catch of the day.
Seasonality is very important – we only use species of fish which are in season. It is simply wrong to use fish when they are spawning. We have to ensure stocks are not only replenished, but also well managed for future generations.
Our cod and haddock are line caught in the north east Atlantic – both these species are MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) certified and make up 85% of our sales. The remainder we source direct from our local day boats at Sunderland and North Shields Fish Quay. We only use wild caught fish and I must say that this is some of the world’s best!
Also, every day we name all the boats that catch our fish – it’s something which the customers really appreciate.
Celebrations and celebrities
Every day is different here. In recent years we’ve had some interesting requests… we did a fish and chip wedding breakfast on South Shields Beach (Blue Flag of course), and we even provided our famous fish and chips to celebrate the Queen’s birthday in the British Ambassador’s Residence in Guatemala and Rome. That was so exciting – 850 Guests at the Villa Wolkonsky!
We’ve also welcomed many famous faces over the years, including Tony Blair, David Miliband, Sir Patrick Stewart, Bill Bryson, David Walliams, Mary Portas, Jo Brand, the Hairy Bikers, Tim Healy, Denise Welch and Alison Steadman. They virtually all had fish, chips and mushy peas, some with wine, some with tea.
As for my own favourite seafood dish, that’s like asking who my favourite child is! But if I was pinned down, it would have to be an original plate of fish and chips.
For more information about Colmans, click here. Colmans restaurant is open from 11am to 7pm, seven days a week.
Interviews provided by Seafish. For more tips and fish ideas, check out www.fishisthedish.co.uk
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