Plymouth’s Seafood Festival is returning to Sutton Harbour and the Barbican for the third year on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 September, for a celebration of the city’s locally caught seafood and fishing industry.
As the first city in the world to be awarded Fish 2 Fork’s Blue City status, Plymouth is the perfect place to host a seafood festival, and let visitors in on the secrets of how fish get from sea to plate.
Local food tour operator Graze & Flavour, working in partnership with Sutton Harbour and Plymouth Boat Trips, will be starting and ending the festival with an opportunity for food lovers to get a behind the scenes insight into Plymouth’s thriving fishing industry.
The tour includes a visit to Plymouth Fish Market where Harbour Master Pete Bromley takes guests around the market and auction, demonstrating how the fishery is committed to sustainability and why the South West industry is growing while others are in decline.
After a walk around Sutton Harbour on the Harbour Heritage Trail, skipper Colin of Plymouth Boat Trips will explain navigational charts and discuss over a bacon buttie how the forecast is looking, before guests have the chance to fish in the historical waters of Plymouth Sound.
Ben Squire from the Boathouse Café will give guests a lesson on how to prepare their fish and let them have a go themselves, before cooking their catch and showing the best way to enjoy Plymouth’s freshest fish.
Tours will be taking place on Friday 26 and Monday 28 September, starting at 7am.
Across the Seafood Festival weekend there will be entertainment and activities for all the family to enjoy, along with lots of fantastic food on the quayside and at restaurants and eateries around the waterfront.
Charlotte Malcom, Commercial Marketing Manager for Sutton Harbour said: “The Seafood Festival is a brilliant way of celebrating Plymouth’s fishing heritage and gourmet seafood offering. People may not realise, but Sutton Harbour has the second biggest Fish Market in England, and industry is really thriving here. The Graze & Flavour FISH tour is a great way to discover this, as well as getting hands on with catching and preparing fish yourself. There will be lots of activities across the whole weekend that will make it a must-visit event for locals and visitors alike.”
On Saturday and Sunday from 10am – 5pm there will be a cookery theatre on the Parade where local and celebrity chefs will be demonstrating their favourite seafood dishes. A quayside market will have seafood, local produce and live entertainment. Visitors will have the chance to meet local fisherman, learn how to fillet fish and join in with activities for children.
Local restaurants will be taking part in ‘Dish of the Day’, offering special fish dishes only available during the festival. 19 restaurants in Sutton Harbour, the Barbican and at Royal William Yard will be taking part, serving everything from Plymouth Clam Chowder to Monkfish Kebabs.
At 1pm on Sunday 28 there will be a crabbing competition for children at the Boathouse Cafe, with the weigh in at 3pm and trophies and prizes for the winners. Sid the Squid will also be on hand to explain about sustainable fishing and different species caught.
For more information about the Seafood Festival, go to www.visitplymouth.co.uk.
For more information about the Sutton Harbour FISH tours and to book, visit www.grazeandflavour.co.uk
