Feast cooked up with Mighty Mussels

Delicious recipes were cooked by students using 8kg of free mussels delivered by DFDS as part of the Fish in School Hero programme.

Year 8 and 9 Food Technology students chose to cook either French Marinière, Thai green curry or Italian tomato and garlic.

It was part of the programme’s ‘Mighty Mussels’ initiative, after family-run business Offshore Shellfish donated 2,000kg of rope-grown mussels, which were cleaned and packed by River Teign Shellfish before being delivered by DFDS to 250 schools across the country.

Fish in School Hero is delivered through a partnership between the Food Teachers’ Centre and the Fishmongers’ Company’s Fisheries Charitable Trust.

Simon Gray, of the Fish in Schools Hero programme, said: “The goal of our programme is simple yet impactful, we aim to ensure that every child gets a chance to prepare, cook and eat fish before they leave school.

“Equally, the programme aims to equip food preparation and nutrition teachers with confidence in fish preparation and cooking. The programme promises life-long learning experiences for thousands of pupils across the UK.”

Ivan Weatherhogg, Commercial Director, UK Coldchain at DFDS, was at the Academy to greet the delivery.

He said: “DFDS is proud to be able to assist the Fishmongers Association and the Food Teachers Centre to deliver mussels to 250 schools nationwide under the Fish in School Hero scheme.

We fully support the aim to teach children how to cook with seafood, and to reinstate the importance of the UK seafood industry to the next generation, hoping they develop a taste for cooking and preparing different species.

“This will enable the seafood industry to keep growing and, along with partners such as us, to sustain its current footprint. We look forward to continuing our support for such initiatives to further improve the sector’s popularity.”

Teacher Bernadette Morgan, Assistant Curriculum Leader, thanked the Fish in School Hero programme, DFDS and all other parties involved for including the school in the initiative.

She said: "Food technology students would not ordinarily get the chance to cook mussels, so this was a great opportunity to do something a little different.

“We had Years 8 and 9 choosing from three different recipes given by Fish Heroes: French Marinière, Thai green curry or Italian tomato and garlic.

"All the dishes created by the students were delicious and I’m sure these recipes inspired their taste buds.”

Waltham Toll Bar Academy Principal Nigel Whittle also thanked the companies and organisations that had made the opportunity possible.

"It was a brilliant link up between the academy and industry, giving our students a different kind of cooking experience," he said. "It is important to encourage our students to eat healthily and fresh fish, sourced in the UK, is highly nutritious and an important part of a balanced diet, which will help their learning.”