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Seafood from Scotland: a collaborative project aimed at maximising opportunities for Scottish seafood. 🐟🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 #LoveScottishSeafood

#PrideofPlate is back! Are you a professional chef

#PrideofPlate is back! Are you a professional chef who hones in on local produce and loves to create exciting new dishes? Whether you're a gastronomical aficionado or a master in revamping old favourites- we want to hear from you! 🐠🍽 Entries open 14th May!

We love that you’re as excited as we are for thi

We love that you’re as excited as we are for this year’s #PrideofPlate competition, but remember, entries don’t open until 14th May! While you wait, here are some key things to remember about entering:

• You can only enter one image per account
• You can enter from both your personal account and your businesses account
• Only images submitted between 14th and 23rd May will be considered

When Covid hit, it was bad, but I'm thankful as it

When Covid hit, it was bad, but I'm thankful as it could have been a lot worse for us. We lost all of our wholesale accounts overnight, our shop had to close – that was 70% of our turnover, just gone.

Our mail order business really carried us through this past year. We were lucky to have already had that in place, my grandparents used to send out the smoked trout, so we already had a loyal customer following.

Still, we were amazed by the support we saw for smaller businesses, not just locally but throughout the UK. People who used to only order at Christmas started ordering on a monthly basis. And a big chunk of our sales were going to people in London and the South East. I think there were a lot of people going online and looking for ways to support small British companies – we’re so thankful for them, it really kept us going through this awful time.

I’ve got confidence about the future. The Isle of Mull is a small community, and the hospitality providers are saying all the hotels and B&Bs are full from the start of May straight through to the end of the season. If there’s not a Covid spike and everyone stays safe, then things will be back to normal soon, fingers crossed. It might even be busier in the shop than before, it’s hard to tell. Things are feeling pretty great, there’s a definite light at the end of the tunnel.

And just this morning, a few wholesalers reached out asking for our price list, so I hope that’s a sign of things to come.

As for the future of Tobermory Fish Company? I don’t know. I’d love my daughter Rosie-Mae to get involved, but there’s no pressure at all – even though she’s named after my mum and was only born in March 2021! I have that bite and passion for food and the industry, which I feel you really need. If not Rosie-Mae, hopefully someone in the family will have that passion and keep things going.

- Sally MacColl, Director @tobermoryfishco #fishstoriesofscotland 2/2

Every Sunday our family met at my grandparents’

Every Sunday our family met at my grandparents’ house for lunch: smoked trout and brown bread. The parents would have sherry – except grandpa, he’d have gin and Irn Bru. It’s become a strong family tradition even though my grandparents have sadly passed away now. Before the Covid-19 pandemic hit we were at my parents’ nearly every Sunday for our Tobermory Trout sandwiches.

You’d think I’d be sick of smoked trout having grown up with it all my life, but no. We’re a smoked trout family.

My grandparents were pioneers of the fish farming industry and in 1971 founded the Tobermory Fish Farm in a little stream in their back garden. When bigger companies began fish farming, grandpa created a recipe with his much-loved trout to make it extra special. This is where Tobermory Trout was born.

We relaunched the Tobermory Fish Company in 2010. I’d worked in hospitality for a number of years and really got a passion for local produce. While working at a local café I heard a lot of visitors asking where they could buy island-sourced seafood. I gave a presentation to mum and dad saying “I want to relaunch Tobermory Fish Company.” Mum dusted off my grandpa’s recipes that had been kept under lock and key and we got everything going. We haven’t stopped since! Mum is head of production, has all of granddad’s recipes down to a T and works all hours around the clock, but she loves it and I love working with her.

We’re a true family business and female-led, which is a bit unusual in this industry. Some of the men in our family do join in. Dad’s a director (along with mum and me) and helps out in the background. We also rope my twin brother and my husband in at every opportunity, especially at Christmas. That’s our busiest time of year.

My grandparents had a loyal following of mail order customers 40/50 years ago, which has given us our backbone we have today. We get calls from people whose grandparents ordered from us for Christmas, they’ve now passed away but the family wants to carry on the tradition.

I feel that nostalgia myself when I eat the trout, remembering my grandparents.

- Sally MacColl, Director @tobermoryfishco #fishstoriesofscotland 1/2

Can't wait to be inspired by the amazing #Scottish

Can't wait to be inspired by the amazing #ScottishSeafood dishes our chefs will be showcasing in this year's #PrideOfPlate competition 👀🍽?

While we wait for the competition to open on 14th May we thought we'd remind you of the amazing final dishes from 2020.

📢This is not a drill 📢 Our long-awaited #Pri

📢This is not a drill 📢 Our long-awaited #PrideofPlate competition is back and dear Cod, this year's prize has us hooked 🎣🍽

This year, we're offering food service outlets and professional chefs the oppor-tuna-ty to have their #ScottishSeafood bill covered for an ENTIRE MONTH. We'll also bring in an industry expert to deliver a tailored skills masterclass at the winning premises. If all that wasn't enough, we'll be throwing in a fishy skills session for 9 lucky runners-up.

Want in on the action? Whether you are a hospitality venue, speciality shack or individual chef, we want to hear from YOU! Put your skills to the test and upload a picture of a #ScottishSeafood dish you've created on the pass, use our #PrideofPlate hashtag and make sure to follow us. We'll take a look and pick our favourite at competition close. Be smart, be creative and #LoveScottishSeafood 🦐😎 Entires open 14th May.

My dad was a fisherman, my brother still is – cr

My dad was a fisherman, my brother still is – crab and lobster. I did try fishing for a while, in summer holidays and in the winter to supplement my income. But I thought it wasn’t for me. So when I left the Isle of Mull for university and studied marine resource management, I didn’t expect to be back.

But after university, I felt a bit homesick, I came back to Mull and ended up making a home for myself here. Once you do that, you look at what opportunities are available to you.

For me, the opportunity was in my dad’s oyster farm. He set it up with his partner about 30 years ago to run alongside their fishing business. I was happy to take it over when the time came – it’s my sole focus, I don’t do any fishing. It’s been a challenge, but I’m pretty pleased with where it is just now. Currently there’s two of us who work full time and one part time. It’s really important to me. While it’s small scale, it is all year-round work on the island.

I don’t think people realise just how sustainable and environmentally sound shellfish farming is. It’s a natural process relying solely on the nutrients found in the sea, and has actually been proven to improve water quality. We just assume people know this and perhaps should be pushing this message home a bit harder.

There’s also a misconception around when you can eat shellfish, there’s always people worried about eating it if there’s an R in the month. But the industry is well-regulated and has stringent testing regimes. If you can buy it, you can eat it.

I’ve been lucky this past year. My main market is selling to supermarkets in the UK through a co-operative of shellfish farmers, Scottish Shellfish, so together we’ve weathered the Covid pandemic and Brexit but I know it’s been difficult for others in the industry.

Looking ahead, I wouldn’t rule out passing the oyster farm on to another family member, but I’m not pushing for it. Whoever takes over when I retire, it would be nice to think a local family is running it the same way. I think these businesses run best when they’re owned and operated by a family. - Gordon Turnbull, Owner Isle of Mull Oysters #fishstoriesofscotland

Scottish salmon is loved world over: in 2019, the

Scottish salmon is loved world over: in 2019, the USA alone imported £179m worth!

“Over the past year, Covid and Brexit had a mass

“Over the past year, Covid and Brexit had a massive impact on our industry. But I think, strangely, the timing of it worked for us because of other changes we had made to our company.

My dad started fishing nearly 40 years ago; I joined about 10 years ago. We co-own the business together, though he’s retired from fishing now. When I started, everything we caught was going to a couple of different wholesalers who were shipping it into Europe. About a year ago we started Belhaven Lobster and started selling about 90% of our catch straight to restaurants and UK wholesalers, and directly to the public – people can contact us and collect straight from the boat or our storage tanks down at the harbour.

The timing was just right, because when Covid hit the wholesale market to Europe collapsed overnight. It’s also been really nice for us, to know how our lobster is being used. With wholesale, our products went on a truck and that was it. Now we see local restaurants doing takeaway and collection meals using it, and meet people who want to try cooking themselves at home. It’s good to know where it’s going and that people are enjoying your hard work.

There’s a lot of hard work that goes into this life, but there’s a sense of freedom. You never really get any two days the same. It’s just you out on the boat. It has an easy kind of pull, but it’s one I didn’t expect. There’s a good work-life balance, too – I’m out early in the mornings, but home in the afternoon and evenings with my kids.

Maybe my kids will become fishermen, too. They’re growing up much like I did – hanging around Dunbar’s Victoria Harbour while dad fishes. You pick things up when you’re doing that, even if you don’t realise it. It becomes part of who you are. I wouldn’t push them into this job, but I hope there’s enough of an attraction for them to at least consider it.” - Lawrie McFarlane, Co-Owner @belhavenlobster #FishstoriesofScotland

Scotland's seafood industry is built on heritage &

Scotland's seafood industry is built on heritage & family. It's part of what makes our seafood so great! Join us on a journey through Scotland's supply chain, from sea to plate, as we share the stories of the people behind Scottish seafood. #FishstoriesofScotland, coming soon...

A proud industry steeped in tradition, it's all of

A proud industry steeped in tradition, it's all of the hardworking people who make our #seafood industry in Scotland so successful. 🌊🐟

Scotland has 4 out of 5 of the UK's largest fishin

Scotland has 4 out of 5 of the UK's largest fishing ports by landings, and accounts for most of the UK's aquaculture production!

#DidYouKnow the European lobster (found in Scotlan

#DidYouKnow the European lobster (found in Scotland's waters) often has a blue-coloured top shell with covered with spots, while the colour fades to yellow underneath?

China-Britain Business Council Partnership. Why do

China-Britain Business Council Partnership. Why does #ScottishSeafood taste so good? As part of our partnership with the China-Britain Business Council we asked Ray Smith, Food & Drink Counsellor at the British Embassy to tell us just that. Watch above, and prepare to get hungry 🦞🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇨🇳

Session 2 of the #FishmongerMasterclass series is

Session 2 of the #FishmongerMasterclass series is coming this Wednesday! Still wondering if the series is for you? @thatsyerdinner shared their experience of last year with us: "We work with Scottish seafood a lot but learned some really smart tips and picked up useful new skills. The classes offer something for all levels and really get to grips with the craft of dealing with whole fish. We’d recommend these classes whether you’re an old hand looking for some new techniques, or just starting out and want to learn more about our amazing seafood larder." Click the link in our bio to save your place 👆🏻🎣🦞

We are thrilled to have partnered with the China-B

We are thrilled to have partnered with the China-Britain Business Council to kick off a new marketing drive in China this month and re-establish Scotland’s seafood as a premium product in a post-Covid world. Today we hosted a Scottish seafood B2B showcase and tasting event to boost awareness of Scottish seafood amongst key industry stakeholders and business professionals. The event marks an important milestone as it’s one of the first live events we’ve been able to take part in for over a year due to social distancing restrictions. Here’s to many more! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🦞🇨🇳

Have you booked your place on this year’s #Fishm

Have you booked your place on this year’s #FishmongerMasterclass?!

Don’t just take our word for it, Chef @ndytmpl of @sixbynico said of last year’s event:
“Seafood Scotland is a huge player in the industry - bringing awareness to not only seafood, but the amazing quality of produce found in Scotland. The masterclasses simply add another layer of depth that we are so lucky to have access to: interesting, informative and fun! Our chefs loved taking part last year...our calendars are marked for the 24th March!”

Click the link in our bio to join us 👆🏻

#SENAReconnect is underway and we’re so happy to

#SENAReconnect is underway and we’re so happy to be attending 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇺🇸. Attendees can visit our pod to find out more about Scotland’s #seafood or watch our live session later today to hear from some of the producers themselves🎣🦞 follow the link in our bio to sign up 👆🏻

Fancy a virtual journey across Scotland? If you’

Fancy a virtual journey across Scotland? If you’re attending #SENAReconnect drop into our 'pod' or watch our live session on Thursday 18th to find out how we stay in tune with nature. 🐳 We can’t wait to reconnect the US market with amazing #ScottishSeafood! Link in bio for details on how to find us 👆

Last year, almost 400 Scottish chefs joined us for

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