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.

to Fishie- we do stock both Mack and Sardines (tinned as well)- Have a chat with our fishmonger if he doesn't have them available- not sure why he wouldn't they are very popular species. N

Lilymaid
Sorry - typing not great
We do sell ray species that are are sustainable and that is why we have changed the name to Ray so that customers know they are ok to buy.
sorry

quentin, is there any way of contacting you after this discussion in order to talk further about waitrose's fishing policy?

I do acknowledge that Waitrose are by far the best retailer (although M&S might be pipping you, they've just withdrawn all tuna other than skipjack).

Far more needs to be done though.

to MagnaCarta- We are looking at Sashimi- its very specific cuts and techniques and we might trial it in our London stores.
also best fish for Omega 3 are Mackerel and Salmon. N

MiniMarmite
Prawns. We have to buy the tropical prawns from tropical areas where they are farmed. Cold water ( smaller) come from the northern seas. I am proud to say we will be launching the first Fair Trade Prawn soon ( secret !!

Will that prawn have been prepared anywhere near where it was fished? Or will it have travelled to the phillipines first?

Sophable
Please feel free to contact me through the Waitrose forum www.waitrose.com and I can pick up any discussion treads with you through that.

Sophable - I am just catching up with this and reading it - in shock about the salmon. I had absolutely no idea eating salmon was so dangerous for human health. Sigh - just when I'd got the kids to eat something high in essential fatty acids. Is there a suitable replacement?

Only a few minutes left until Neil and Quentin have to finish - thanks for coming on to you both. And thanks Quentin for saying you'll post more for LupusinaLlamasuit later.

pretty poor show i'm afraid.

Thanks Quentin and Neil, looking forward to your info on PCBs.

Did you like fish when you were children?

i'd really like to see that information too, perhaps quentin could post it on this thread so that we can all see it?

I suppose my question is, can any of us really justify eating tropical prawns? I have stopped buying them altogether (despite huge cravings for them). It's just a shame that our own local product (much, much smaller) is rarely available.

Quick Coley recipe- Pan roast fillet with spinach pine nuts and sultanas- sear the coley fillets in a hot ovenable pan in a little olive oil- finish cooking in a warm oven (120C) for 5/6 mins- Try not to over cook- once cooked remove from pan onto a bed of cooked buttered spinach, add a knob of butter, handful of pine nuts and sultanas- a good squeeze of lemon then dress, cook for 2 mins until butter melted, nuts colour and sultanas puff up- add a little salt and serve over fish. N

you know it would be so much easier and more credible to say:

yeah, we know there are big issues with farmed salmon. but our customers want cheap smoked salmon and if we don't stock it then we will lose money and footfall.

same for tuna. same for cod.

Thanks to everybody - it's great everybody is asking such good questions and I hope you found it useful. It is a massive subject and I know we have just touched the tip of the iceberg. I also know that you probably don't have the time to follow up on everything when you shop so hopefully you can see that we have tried to make it that much easier when you buy and cook fish

i hate to say it but i have visions of a flurry of phone and emails trying to get hold of information (hard data) that will back up the 'farmed salmon is safe to eat' claim.

lots and lots of that PR available from farmed salmon producers quentin don't worry.

Like most things that money is where the industry is, so that 2004 study has yet to be followed up, as who wants to pay for it.

huge credit to waitrose for trying though.

but must try harder.

'I also know that you probably don't have the time to follow up on everything when you shop'.

Hmm. Isn't one of the lessons of this thread that in fact we do have time to follow up on everything when we shop because being informed consumers is pretty important to many of us here on MN?

Methinks they were expecting us to be something quite different.

I think you frightened them sophable

fair play to you

i will try the coley recipe thanks pine nuts and fish sound lovely. lots more questions to be asked though of waitrose and other retailers, i will question my fish! but fair play to waitorse for standing up to it, AIW

Sorry I missed most of this, any recipes for huss which we buy regularly?

it so often happens. i think they expect it to be a lovely PR moment. it never is on mn.

justine you should issue a warning...don't expect thick non-questioning gratitude for the wisdom you are about to impart! MNers question EVERYTHING.

thank god.

I'm disappointed that sophable's points weren't addressed. I couldn't make the live chat but was hoping for some information from Waitrose.

I wonder if they thought we were all little housewives just wanting a few fish recipes?