Norwegian Inspiration Day May 12th

I was very privileged in May to be invited, together with the winners of the NFFF National Fish & Chip Awards for 2026, to the Norwegian Seafood Council Inspiration Day which was held at both Westminster Kingsway College, London and also at the Norwegian Ambassador’s Residence in Kensington.

The college, renowned as probably the best in the UK, gave so many of the top industry chefs their grounding to go on and achieve Michelin stars and great fame in the world of food and restaurants.

At the college, as well as a tour with Senior Lecturer and Chef José Souto, we were entertained (and educated) by Andrej Urosevic, or more commonly, “Andrej cooks fish”, about his career as a Paris trained chef, Master Fishmonger, Fishsommelier, Restauranteur and YouTube star, (https://andrejcooksfish.co.uk/)

The audience were enthralled with his goal of “Cooking every fish in the World” and his tips on marketing and building your business.

To follow this, Michelin star chef, Simon Hulstone, owner of the renowned Elephant in Torquay, gave the group a masterclass in tasty tips and ideas to spice up menus using frozen at sea cod, haddock and saithe, including a Cod Hot Dog!

In the afternoon, we visited the Norwegian Ambassador’s Residence where attendees were treated to a reception with treats of Norwegian fish, and an address by the Norwegian Ambassador to the UK, Hattrem. A Q&A session followed with Sarah Heward (The Real Food Café) and Aman Dhesi (The Scrap Box). As major winners in the 2026 awards, discussion covered their experiences as Award winners and ideas for marketing your shop to your local and wider community.

In June, all of the Winners of the NFFF Awards categories will be visiting Ålesund with Norwegian Seafood Council, for the trip of a lifetime to experience site visits, practical sessions, and opportunities to engage with fishermen, processors, and industry representatives — with a strong focus on the themes shaping the UK fish and chip sector today.

Also, in June the winners of the Restaurant of the Year award will be rewarded for their success with a magical visit to the north west of Iceland with Seafood from Iceland. One of the many highlights of the trip will be Iceland’s Fishermen’s Day (Sjómannadagurinn), a long-standing national celebration honouring the country’s fishermen and the important role the fishing industry has played in Icelandic history, culture and coastal communities. It will be very exciting to be spending this special weekend in the Westfjords, where fishing remains such an important part of everyday life.

There will be reports on both of  these unbelievable trips in our August/September issue.