Cornish Fishmongers battle it out at Newlyn Fish Festival

Lee Trethewey from Fish For Thought crowned Cornish Fishmonger of the Year 2011

(from L to R) Champion Lee Trethewey with Runner Up Ian Pilkington

Visitors to this year’s Newlyn Fish Festival were treated to an enthralling display of skill and expertise, as six of Cornwall’s finest fish filleters and fishmongers competed for the coveted title of “Cornish Fishmonger of the Year 2011 supported by Seafood Cornwall Training.” Faced with a series of intense challenges, designed to test a full range of skills, the competitors were judged by three leading industry experts, headed up by Duncan Lucas, multiple National Fishmonger of the Year; Sue Lucas, one of the country’s most experienced fishmongers and award winning ‘ready to eat seafood’ expert; as well as Annie Sibert, owner of the Falmouth based seafood cookery school, ‘My Fish Kitchen’ and Seafish approved instructor for Seafood Cornwall Training. After two closely fought out heats, an adrenaline-filled final round saw Lee Trethewey, representing Fish For Thought, compete against Ian Pilkington from the St Ives seafood company, Matthew Stevens and Son, but there could only be one winner.

The two finalists had just ten minutes to complete a series of advanced techniques under the close scrutiny of the judges, as well as a full audience and TV cameras.

Steven Bell from The Fish Boutique – W Stevenson and Sons (Penzance)

Each candidate was scored on their technique, yield, presentation and attention to detail; extra points were awarded for finishing all the tasks within the allocated time and for creating an attractive display.
When their time was up, the judges combined their scores and the prestigious title of “Cornish Fishmonger of the Year 2011” was awarded to Lee Trethewey from Fish For Thought. A total of six seafood companies from Cornwall were represented at the event, many of the candidates had not competed before, but were keen to pitch their skills and experience against one another. The winner and runner up received their awards from Nick Crane, presenter of the BBC’s COAST Programme who commented, “I was thrilled to have been involved in an initiative that reminds us that seafood is a delicacy and that good fishmongers should be celebrated and supported. A great day for Cornwall.'

Ian Pilkington from Matthew Stevens and Son (St Ives) in action

On receiving his trophy, Lee Trethewey said, “Winning this award is a great accolade. Our customers have often commented on the high standard of preparation of the fish they receive, so I knew I was in with a good chance.  I shall definitely compete next year to defend my title, it was a nerve racking experience, but it was worth it for sure.” Paul Trudgian, owner of Fish For Thought, said, “This is the first time that we have entered an event such as this. We work very hard to ensure our customers receive produce of the best quality, prepared by experts. We were thrilled and proud to have Lee represent us, at what must be the ‘Oscars’ of the Cornish Fish Industry.”

Judge Duncan Lucas commented, “Sue and I have been privileged to be involved in the first ever Cornish Fishmonger of Year competition. The event was professionally run and as always, meeting six Cornish fishmongers who are enthusiastic about the industry, was great. We would both like to add, that the standard of all six competitors was very high indeed, it was a pleasure to be able to judge such high standards and the close scores proved this. Congratulations to Lee for becoming the overall winner and the current Cornish Champion for 2011.

We are sure this will become an annual event that will just get bigger and bigger. We also want to acknowledge and thank Trelawney Fish for supplying all the fish, as the quality was superb which is critical when running this type of event, in front of the general public.”  Sarah Crosbie, Manager of Seafood Cornwall Training who coordinated and sponsored the event, said, “The competition was launched to highlight the expertise of filleters and fishmongers from across the county, at the same time as promoting Cornish fish and the profession to a wider audience. The filleters that took part in the event, as well as their colleagues from across the county are the unsung heroes of our important and vibrant fish industry, here in Cornwall.

The competition has proved to be a huge success, although the youngest at only 24, Lee Trethewey from St Austell, has set a very high standard and has certainly laid down the gauntlet for next year”.