Training for Young People: The Schools Education Programme

Schools Co-ordinator, Paula Williams working with young people at the School.

As a charitable company the primary function of the school is to introduce and educate school children about fish and promote the health benefits of eating seafood. We do this by delivering free courses to young people, for groups up to thirty students.

The simple idea of our schools programmes is to show students what fish look like in their natural state, how they are prepared and then simple, quick methods of cooking them. Students will also learn about the qualifications needed for various jobs within the seafood industry and identify training opportunities that are available to help them work find work.

Located in the heart of London’s Docklands under the shadow of the giant Canary Wharf tower, Billingsgate Market is the UK’s largest inland fish market supplying over 120 seafood products to the capital and throughout the UK. Billingsgate Seafood Training School was established in June 2000, and has built a reputation characterised by a ‘hands on’ straight forward approach to fish and seafood.

Free fish preparation and cookery courses for local schools, community and voluntary groups

Here is how one school described their day at Billingsgate.

“I would like to thank you so much for such an enjoyable course. The two presenters were excellent—welcoming, encouraging and informative. It was one of the best visits we have been on. You might be interested to know that a couple of the students would never cook fish, this workshop actually changed their view!”

We now offer courses designed for:

Primary Schools * Secondary Schools * Catering Colleges

Want to find out more? Submit online form here.

From Fish to Food - Primary Schools Course

09:30 Arrive at market, welcome and registration, introduction and safety advice. (Please note larger classes are split into two groups).

10:00 Fishmongering demonstration with whole fish showing preparation techniques and discussing how and where fish live in the oceans.

11.15 Break (split classes swap sessions)

11.45 Cookery demonstration, a selection of simple recipes that children can have hands on practical experience.

13.00 Close (Schools are welcome to bring pack lunches that can be eaten on the premises).

Typical Fishy questions explained to the students:
Why is fish slimy or scaly? How do fish breath? Why is some fish smoked? What happens to mussels when they are cooked? What does its skin feel like? What part of it can you eat? How are fish caught?

Want to find out more? Submit online form here.

Need help introducing seafood? Our Teacher's resources page will help

Intro 2 Fish - Secondary Schools Course

The simple idea behind this introductory programme is to show students what a selection of fish look like in their natural state and then prepare a selection of seafood dishes for them to taste if they wish. The course is aimed at Food Technology students (year 10+). The exact format of this one day course is flexible and can be tailored to individual schools depending which elements of the curriculum they wish to cover. However, a typical format would include:

09.30 Arrive at market, welcome and registration, introduction and safety advice. (Please note larger classes are split into two groups).

10:00 Fishmongering demonstration with whole fish showing preparation techniques and discussing fisheries science.

11.15 Break (split classes swap sessions)

11.45 Delivered by one of our Food Consultants who will prepare up to seven different seafood dishes, which students can taste. Depending on student numbers and their ability, students may be invited to get hands on experience cooking some of the dishes that are prepared.

13.30 Close (Schools are welcome to bring pack lunches that can be eaten on the premises).

Want to find out more? Submit online form here.

Need help introducing seafood? Our Teacher's resources page will help

Foundation Fishmongering Techniques

Open to Colleges and Catering Institutions who offer NVQ level 2 and 3
Billingsgate Fish Preparation Course

This course is run over 3.5 hours and includes a short escorted market visit and knife skills preparation session.
Arrive at the market at 6.45am for a brief introduction. 7.00 – 8.00am escorted visit of the market looking at species identification and quality assessment.
After breakfast (£3.50 per student) 1.5 hours of fish preparation with a fishmonger looking at:
Cleaning, gutting and filleting a round fish.
Trimming, filleting and skinning a flat fish.
Demonstration of 2 further species e.g squid, monkfish, gurnard, pollack or sea bass etc

The cost of this course is £75 per visit (to cover the cost of the fish) plus cost of breakfast.

Catering students from Southwark College have an early start at Billingsgate Fish Market! 

Want to find out more? Submit online form here.

Need help introducing seafood? Our Teacher's resources page will help

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