It's 4am on a Wednesday in September
Still dark, the day boats are returning to Brixham Harbour. The fish are unloaded and graded in preparation to be sold. Premier Fish are daily buyers at Brixham Market. The fish are locally caught and perfect for sea to plate dining. The quality is pristine because the majority of boats are only out to sea for one day.
It is here that Premier Fish’s operation kicks into gear. Speed and quality are key to helping restaurants on the south coast of England bring sea to plate dining to their customers. They’ve been in the game for over 25 years and are exceptional at what they do.
6am, Brixham Market
The online auction begins. Premier Fish – an independent fishmonger from the South West of England – prepare to bid like they do every morning. They only buy an E-grade plus product, the best you can get at the market.
Premier Fish know that this time of year is the best time to buy plaice on the south coast. Plaice go out of season in November, but they’re at their prime now. Importantly, chefs depend on Premier Fish’s knowledge to help shape their menus.
9am, return to Premier Fish
Once purchasing is complete, the driver returns to Premier Fish’s depot in Salisbury. It’s here that between 15 and 20 tonnes of fish are processed each week. The team cuts and pin bones the fish by hand and groups them in boxes to await customer orders.
Over at Rockwater on Branksome beach, Head Chef Chris Lewis and his team of chefs are flying. There are few better places on a sunny day than the two restaurant terraces that overlook the ocean. Today, the restaurant is buzzing.
Rockwater buys seasonal ingredients that are fresh that day. They get the majority of their fish from Premier Fish, and Chris uses the Fresho app to place his order. Next catch of the day on the specials board: locally caught plaice.
Back at Premier Fish, the orders are received on Fresho and the team processes them to the customer’s specification. Rockwater’s preference is for plaice to arrive trimmed, with dark skin removed.
Then, the night team jumps on the order and gets it ready for Premier Fish’s drivers who arrive in the early hours to deliver to Rockwater.
Early next morning: delivery to Rockwater
Premier Fish delivers the order to Rockwater. The streamlined, efficient order process gives Head Chef Chris and his team plenty of time to prepare the fish ahead of lunch service.
For Chris, this means he can concentrate on his other duties like preparing new menus and supporting his chefs.
The sea to plate process
In less than 24 hours, the fish has been picked up from Brixham Market, prepared to order in the depot, and delivered to the customer.
The result is a beautifully seared, locally caught catch of the day: plaice served with crushed potatoes, kale and a caper butter. Clearly, it’s a popular dish with Rockwater’s customers.
Undoubtedly, life in fresh food wholesale and in hospitality is hard. The hours are long, and the conditions tough. As consumers, we don’t often appreciate the effort that is put in behind the scenes. But when you take a step back and follow the process, you’ve got to take your hat off to the hard-working people that deliver this level of service.
Our thanks to Premier Fish and Rockwater for participating in this film.
