Following on from successful Fish In School Hero engagement with the Jersey secondary schools Les Quennevais School and Jersey College for Girls, in May 2025 the Company’s Fisheries Trust sent a small delegation across to the Channel Island to connect teenagers with their local seafood sector.
Simon Gray, programme lead for the Fish in School Hero programme, took with him Master Fishmonger Hayden Cutting from Bell’s Fishmongers in Cumbria and Katie Prigg, an up-and-coming Chef De Partie from the prestigious The Goring Hotel in London.
The three went at the invitation of the Jersey Department of Marine Resources, who have been really proactive in using the Fish in School Hero Programme to connect into their local secondary schools, seeing the potential to better engage local kids and community in the islands sustainable fishing sector.
During their visit, the trio visited the Jersey Oyster Farm, went out to observe scallop diving and crab fishing, visited a local fishmonger, and of course, secondary school classrooms.
The below video gives just some of the highlights from the visit:
At Quennevais School the team cooked spider crab linguine with pupils, supported by Georgina Waring, their ‘outstanding’ food teacher, who has taken on the challenge to introduce pupils to more local seafood with relish. Andrew Baird, highly acclaimed chef from Jersey’s Longueville Manor, also visited the school to inspire the next generation with dishes from his menu.
Toni from Jersey College for Girls, known to her pupils as Miss De Louche, was super excited to be able to give her pupils an opportunity to work with local seafood. Arriving by minibus at St Catherines Harbour, the girls experienced cooking al fresco, preparing hand dived scallops that had been harvested less than 30 minutes previously only 200 yards away by one of Toni’s ex-pupils!
The Fish in School Hero aims to ensure that every child gets the chance to cook, eat and enjoy seafood before they leave school. It is supported by Industry Heros: fishmongers, seafood-loving chefs, suppliers and producers.
Jersey has a productive and highly sustainable seafood sector, and yet many teenagers are unaware of the industry on their doorstep. This trip was a chance to forge lasting connections between Jersey schools and the seafood industry, inspiring deeper links between community and local food.
Taking the two young heroes Hayden and Katie was not only a great chance to lead by example, showing teenagers, the range of careers open to them, but also a valuable professional opportunity for the two to get firsthand experience of the origin of the products they purvey back on mainland UK.
Simon Gray said: “Hayden was amazing and so knowledgeable and great with the students and industry…. We have our Master Fishmonger champion!”
“Katie was perfect and really connected with the young people. She was so calm and clear with her seafood demonstrations, and she can’t wait for the next opportunity to visit schools in London and surrounding areas as a ‘Fish Hero Chef’ “
Following the visit, with the backing of Jersey’s Maine Resources Department, three Jersey secondary schools have embedded seafood in their teaching, with a pledge to do “three by three”, using three different seafoods in their classrooms three times a year.
© The Fishmongers’ Company 2025
