A Lancashire hotel is gearing up for its inaugural Seafood Festival in early July, with catering team members getting first-hand experience of how local fruits of the sea go from net to platter in just a matter of hours.
Staff from English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues’ art-deco Midland Hotel have been out and about in Morecambe Bay, learning how to land the perfect catch for the preparation of sumptuous seafood dishes.
General manager Mark Needham and head chef Michael Wilson took to the water with local shrimping expert Frank Benson to see how one of The Midland’s most popular dishes, Morecambe Bay potted shrimps, is caught and prepared for the dinner table.
“Nothing beats the freshness of that daily catch and The Midland has been enjoying Frank Benson’s shrimps since the hotel re-opened in 2008,” explains Mark Needham. “It’s been a fascinating experience to trace the route of this delicacy from the sea water of Britain’s second largest bay to the tables of our Sun Terrace restaurant.”
Shrimping in Morecambe Bay has been an important part of the area’s culture and economy since the 18th century. The Benson family tradition goes back three generations and Frank has taught his own son the craft, with only a handful of fishermen now shrimping in this traditional manner.
“An in-depth knowledge of the shifting quick sands and tidal patterns of Morecambe Bay is vital,” adds Mark. “Specialist shrimping nets are connected to iron bars or ‘beams’ before being hauled across the channels at low tide. The shrimps are then ‘riddled’ to separate any unwanted intruders like crab or weever fish, boiled and cooled for refrigeration.”
English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues is organising the Seafood Festival at the Midland Hotel on Morecambe’s waterfront on Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd July 2016.
Festival highlights will be an ‘Under the Sea’ themed dinner dance and a seafood and farmers market to give local and regional suppliers the opportunity to showcase their products. The event showpiece on the Sunday features a Laurent Perrier champagne and oyster bar, a seafood stall with popular catches, local cask ales and live music.
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