Webchat with Waitrose fish experts, Mon 22 June, 1-2pm

[GeraldineMumsnet]

As some of you may already know, our friends at Waitrose are sponsoring the film The End of the Line, which is all about ocean sustainability and the dangers of over-fishing.

And on Monday (22 June, 1-2pm), Quentin Clark and Neil Nugent from Waitrose will be joining us for a live webchat all about fish.

Neil is an executive chef at Waitrose and will no doubt have lots of lovely fish recipes up his corporate sleeve. Quentin is Waitrose's fish buyer and knows all there is to know about responsible fishing (and fish-eating).

We hope you'll join us for the chat on Monday but, as ever, if you can't (or you can't wait), please post your advance questions here.

I think the Wairtose fish counter is superb tbh ( even if I only haunt it for reductions)

Well, if they do as much research into fish as they do with coffee, that would explain how fantastic and ethical their fish is !!

Can they tell us where Cod is?

I don't have a single qustion. But the idea of Waitrose fish experts being on MN is too fabulous for words. A little offbeat, but brilliant.

(sadly, I'll have to read it afterwards as I have a meeting but whatever).

My question would be:
Why are Waitrose still selling cod. Can there really be such a thing as environmentally responsible cod?
Also, do Waitrose sell tilapia, and what are their thoughts on it (is it a "greener" alternative to other types of fish; how nutritious is it - I read it was low on Omega 3 and Omega 6 oils).
Also, why are they now only selling their salmon steaks in portions rather than by weight. I often buy fresh salmon for the kids, but don't want a huge chunk at times.

Thanks for the new fish-in-the-oven service (on the fish counters), great idea. Has it impacted on sales?

Waitrose do sell tilapia but when I asked about it, they weren't very enthusiastic about it.
However, both dd's really seem to like it.

Working on monday so will have to read chat once I've got home, would love some recipes for tilapia as it doesn't have a lot of flavour and all I seem to do are tomato and garlic based sauces for it.

I just wanted to say that it's great news that you're going to be bringing out sustainably fished tinned tuna soon, rather than the John West stuff (which according to GreenPeace is very poorly fished). Am I right in thinking it will be rod & line caught? Will you be able to ensure that the fishermen are working in fair conditions for fair pay?

I LOVE Waitrose and was so happy when I realised that my weekly shop costs about the same as a Tesco shop, helped by the fact that you offer free delivery or shop pick-up (which is a great service...God the staff are lovely). Well done to everyone at Waitrose!

I think this is a great idea, although certainly very different and 'out there'

My question:

We eat cod, we really like cod in batter or in a fish pie (and i buy the waitrose frozen cod pieces for fish pie). Apart from cod we only really eat salmon or plaice (which the lovely people on the fish counter skin and bone for me).

So what would be the best fish for me to buy in order to try and wean my dc and dh off cod? The fish must have scales (religous requirement not put in there to confuse you)

and my sucking up point, i would like to add that i really do love waitrose there is one local to us and although i think we arent really the target market i do make the effort to buy certain things from there, one of which is fish, the counter service is excellent and my daughter adores the 'waitrose easy tuna steaks'

It says Monday the 21st in title and sidebar!

Will amend right now. thanks for pointing out.

We don't have a Waitrose so I know nothing of their fish counter.

Love the fact that the Waitrose fish buyer is called Quentin

My question again is around Cod (the original).

"Are Waitrose investigating methods of "farming" cod as M&S are in Huuuuuuge farms in the middle of an appropriate sea?

I read this as 'Webchat with Waitrose Fish' gotta concentrate more!

Oh how interesting. Good call MNHQ.

I have a question from my 3-yr-old daughter who would like to know if she can eat the fish's tongue and eyes when I bake a whole fish.

Great idea, will try to be there as will be interesting to compare them to my local lobster fisherman who I buy my fish off.

Sounds a bit fishy to me .

I'd like to know how fresh is their fish? How long from being caught to reaching the fish counter?

How is their fish caught overseas transported to the UK (am thinking about their Alaskan organic salmon).

I'd like to know why I can't buy whitebait on the fish counter (or in packets). I love whitebait, but almost never have it because the supermarkets don't sell it.

and another one...
We love your lightly dusted lemon sole fillets, but can't have them currently because they contain milk which half the family can't have. Why the 'need' to add milk to a product that really doesn't require it?

we don't have a Waitrose near us either (South Devon) WHY NOT?

What has happened to their mussels recently (last year or two). Have they changed their source/supplier? They used to be lovely, now they're quite unpleasant (if not actually 'off'). Really disappointing as there's nowhere else near us (that I can think of) that sells mussels and I love them!

I know its not really the right time of year for mussels, but I'm still interested.

And why don't they stock clams any more? Or is that just my branch. Used to buy those once a week to throw into a paella or have with spaghetti and chilli and garlic (delicious). Is there an ethical issue surrounding clams, or just no demand (other than me)?

There are 5 near me yappybluedog - want one?

This is a great idea. I'm forever flummoxed by the fish counter.

Which fish should we be buying from a sustainability point of view? And which fish should we avoid?

Is cod ever a 'green' option or should we all avoid it all together?

I won't be around on Monday. However, my question/ comment would be that I find it's often difficult to use the 'smell' test to guage whether fish is really fresh, as it all seems to smell vile to start with.

Is it normal for fish to have a strong smell? It may be that I am just hypersensitive to / dislike fishy smells.

Does Waitrose fish smell 'better'?

I do like Waitrose on my little trips into Marlborough, but can't say I've lingered long enough around the fish counters to form any opinion.

Question: how can you justify selling any farmed salmon at all given what you know about the huge risks to health because of PCPs and dioxins which are concentrated in their food and antibiotics and sealice treatments all of which pose risks to human health from ingestion?

From a marine conservation point of view, selling farmed salmon is criminal as it takes more than 3lb of wild fish to raise 1 lb of farmed salmon, and said fish are often juveniles of endangered species.

I shop in Waitrose but hope fervently that you will take the lead in raising awareness that far from being a health giving food, farmed salmon is both a health risk and an ecological disaster.

And before you plead that not all farmed salmon is equal, please know that I am fully aware that even so called 'organic' farmed salmon is treated with 'SLICE' a sealice treatment which is carcinogenic. The soil association have let their brand down badly in allowing the term organic to be applied to farmed salmon. The same conservation issues outlined above apply to all farmed salmon.

Further any farmed salmon's flesh would be grey were it not for the addition of canthaxanthin, a substance that was banned as a tanning pill in the UK because it accumulates in the retina.

Why are you stocking this stuff?