Seafish Press Release - RockFish UK BEST Fish & Chips Award:

ROCKFISH SEAFOOD & CHIPS IN DARTMOUTH WINS BEST RESTAURANT IN NATIONAL FISH & CHIP AWARDS 2013

A fish and chip restaurant in Dartmouth, Devon has won the title of Best Independent Fish and Chip Restaurant of the Year at the National Fish & Chip Awards 2013, organised by Seafish, the authority on seafood. RockFish Seafood & Chips won the prestigious accolade at the annual awards ceremony at the Lancaster London hotel in London on 24 January.  Owned by Mitch Tonks and Matt Prowse, the restaurant is celebrating after being crowned the best in the UK after an intensive judging process.  Sponsored by Goldensheaf, the fish and chip restaurant was judged on a wide range of criteria with judges appraising the restaurant’s premises, food quality, staff training and development policy, customer service and marketing and promotional activity.

Mitch Tonks, of RockFish, said: “It is an amazing honour for RockFish to be crowned Best Independent Fish & Chip Restaurant in the UK. “There is no better industry to work in. After three years of being shortlisted, it is a fantastic feeling to finally walk away with the trophy. “We can’t wait to take the award back to share with our customers. We take great pride in our food and always aim to give customers the best service possible so they never fail to come back.”

Paul Williams, Chief Executive of Seafish said: “The awards have been a huge success this year and the final nominees were of an extremely high standard. “RockFish should be very proud of their win. The judges commended the RockFish team for their highly professional attitude towards the running of their restaurant and for the commitment they show their customers in ensuring great food quality. They are a credit to the industry.”

 David Lovell of award sponsors Goldensheaf, said: “The UK’s multitude of fish and chip outlets are a national institution and RockFish is a fantastic example of how fish and chips can best be enjoyed in a restaurant setting. This competition has been the fiercest yet with each finalist demonstrating the highest standards and best quality. However, RockFish demonstrates a fantastic commitment to excellence and we congratulate them on winning such a prestigious award.”

 Now in its 25th year, the National Fish & Chip Awards continue to be the most prestigious industry event for anyone involved in sourcing, producing and selling Britain’s most iconic dish.

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 Notes to Editors

 • Interviews and photography with the winning shop can be arranged. Please contact Alana/Ewan at 3x1 Public Relations 0141 221 0707.

 • This award category is sponsored by Goldensheaf.

 • Sponsors of the National Fish & Chip Awards 2013 Independent Takeaway Fish and Chip Shop of the Year Award category includes – BD Signs, Friars Pride, Henry Colbeck, Norwegian Seafood Council, VA Whitley, AAK, Henry Jones, JFK, and Kingfrost.

 • Other award sponsors include: Marine Stewardship Council, Carisma Fish, James T Blakeman & Co Limited, Drywite, Frymax, The Q Partnership, Isle of Ely Produce, Middleton Foods, Unique Seafood Ltd., Caterway, Goldensheaf, Amanda Seafoods.

 • Supporters of the awards include the Frozen At Sea Fillets Association, Highland Spring, the National Federation of Fish Friers, the National Edible Oils Distributors Association, Triple F Chips, Seafarers UK, Vandemoortele, KFE School of Frying, Easy Liners, Russums, Larrys Fishcakes, Sepamatic, Abex and the Responsible Fishing Scheme.

 • Seafish, the authority on seafood, was founded in 1981 by an act of parliament and supports the UK seafood industry for a sustainable, profitable future. Our services range from research and development, economic consulting, market research and training and accreditation through to account management and legislative advice for the seafood industry. www.seafish.org

Press release - Tonks Tops the UK’s Fish & Chips Chart with Big Win:

RockFish Dartmouth is named the best place to get fish & chips in the UK

Seafood aficionado, Mitch Tonks, has picked up another award for his latest foray in seafood, RockFish Seafood & Chips in Dartmouth, which won the coveted title of ‘Best Independent UK fish and chips restaurant’ in the UK’s annual Seafish Industry Fish and Chip awards. With a new RockFish scheduled to open this summer in Devon Mitch says, “This is fantastic news and yet another reason to come to South Devon for the best fish in the world.”

Having won a string of national awards for all things fishy (best restaurant, best fishmonger, restaurateur of the year amongst them), Mitch and long term business partner Mat Prowse are delighted but not fazed by the lastest win, Mitch says “I have a great love of British seafood in all its forms and fish and chips has rightly kept its place as the nation’s favourite.” At RockFish customers can take their fish and chips away or sit down and enjoy fish and chips cooked to order and served up in boxes with a range of all the popular accompaniments, mushy peas, curry sauce, “We buy fantastic fresh fish from our MSC Norwegian Seafood cod and haddock to quality local fish which is hard to beat - fresh mackerel, Bay Whiting and South Devon crab all feature on the menu which changes with the daily catch”.

The restaurant is just a few steps away from the waterfront, the dedicated take-away just around the corner, and just doors away from Tonks’ highly praised Seahorse restaurant which won the coveted Observer Food Magazine Best Restaurant of the Year just 2 months ago.

You never feel far away from the sea at RockFish as the interior is like an uber chic large beach hut, the walls decorated with children’s drawings. In the winter a warm fire keeps the place cosy and inviting and the extensive drinks from the bar range from tea to Prosecco to cocktails, something for everyone. Since opening RockFish has been packed to the gills with a firm base of loyal local fans who make way for the influx of visitors to the town during the summer.

www.mitchtonks.co.uk

www.rockfishdevon.co.uk

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Further information - Laura@mitchtonks.co.uk

RockFish Seafood & Chips Restaurant & Take-Away 8 South Embankment, Dartmouth, TQ6 9BH 01803 832800

Take-Away 28 Lower Street, Dartmouth TQ6 9AN 01803 839182

RockFish Plymouth will open by the National Aquarium in summer 2013

Chef Mitch Tonks to open RockFish restaurant in Plymouth:

FORTY jobs will be created when a celebrity chef opens a £500,000 seafood restaurant at the National Marine Aquarium.

 Award-winning food writer, restaurateur and fishmonger Mitch Tonks will bring his RockFish brand to the Coxside attraction.

A planning application has been submitted to create the 200-seater RockFish Plymouth diner in the building, formerly used by architects LHC, next-door to the aquarium.

 The development represents an investment of about £500,000, the NMA said, and will create an estimated 40 jobs for city people.

 The RockFish brand already operates successful restaurants in Dartmouth and Bristol, and Mr Tonks’ other Dartmouth venue, the Seahorse, won Best UK Restaurant in the Observer Food Magazine awards and Best Seafood Restaurant in the Good Food Guide.

 Mr Tonks, described as “a legend” by TV chef Jamie Oliver, is the latest high-profile chef attracted to Plymouth.

 The city is already the base for Chris and James Tanner, who have two restaurants and have appeared on TV, and now another telly personality Gary Rhodes is due to open his Rhodes @ the Dome restaurant this month.

 RockFish also follows a slew of established chains gravitating to Plymouth, with more arriving too including Le Bistrot Pierre, Wagamama and Las Iguanas all planning to open at the Royal William Yard this year.

 RockFish will specialise in serving seafood, most of which will be “sustainably sourced” and certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), with much coming straight from city-based fishermen.

 Dr David Gibson, managing director at the N MA, said: “We are delighted Mitch Tonks has chosen to open his latest RockFish restaurant here in Plymouth.

 “His message of sourcing only the best sustainable seafood is something we wholeheartedly support.

 “Mitch has dedicated his career to ensuring that people not only enjoy the best quality seafood available but also that the fish he serves in his restaurants are caught using methods that cause as little damage to the marine environment as possible – helping to keep fish stocks at healthy levels.”

 Mr Tonks, author of Fish Easy, said: “We are excited to be opening RockFish in Plymouth. It’s a fantastic site and somewhere where we feel we can make a real impact.

 “It’s great to have the support of the NMA, as our key ethos of encouraging marine conservation is so closely matched by the work that the aquarium does both here in Plymouth and further afield.

 “It’s going to be a unique partnership, and one which we are very much looking forward to developing over the coming months.”

 The development is also supported by Sutton Harbour Holdings plc, with Charlotte Malcolm, marketing manager saying: “It is a ringing endorsement for Plymouth and the harbour that a chef of Mitch Tonks’ calibre has chosen this site for his latest restaurant.

 “It will be a great asset in promoting the city to the national visitor market and encouraging residents to visit the waterfront.

 “The RockFish restaurant will reinforce Plymouth’s reputation as a leading marine city, as well as reinforcing the NMA’s credentials as a leading authority on marine conservation and sustainable fishing.”

RockFish short-listed in sustainability award:

RockFish have been short-listed to the final 3 in another award sponsored by Seafish UK - the Good Catch award.  We take our sustainability credentials extremely seriously and work hard to foster good relationships with our suppliers and fishermen.  Many of our menu items are MSC certified including favourites cod and haddock and queen scallops.  The award winner will be announced in Janaury but we are really pleased to hear the news of being short-listed already. 

Full Press Release from Seafish below

ROCKFISH OF DARTMOUTH, DEVON SHORTLISTED FOR SUSTAINABILITY AWARD AS PART OF NATIONAL FISH & CHIP AWARDS 2013

Dartmouth’s popular fish and chip shop, RockFish Seafood & Chips, has reached the finals of this year’s Good Catch Award at the National Fish & Chip Awards 2013, run by Seafish, the authority on seafood.

RockFish Seafood & Chips will now be invited to the awards ceremony along with fellow finalists – The Bay Fish & Chips in Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire and Frankie’s Fish & Chips in Brae, Shetland in the race to be awarded the Good Catch Award on 24 January 2013 at the prestigious Lancaster London hotel in London.

Due to concerns with overfishing and questions raised regarding issues of sustainability, where and how fish and chip shops source their fish from has never been so important. Each year, the Good Catch Award honours those in the fish and chip industry who have made a conscious effort to change the way in which they responsibly source their core product and in doing so, help protect the industry for the future.

Sponsored by Good Catch, of which Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is part of, the award recognises those who are UK leaders in sustainably sourcing fish, working to protect fishing supplies so they are available for future generations to enjoy.

Mitch Tonks, owner of the RockFish said: “Being shortlisted for this second award for RockFish gives us all such a buzz! Trying to think about sustainability and provenance can seem complicated for restaurants and for customers too. I am absolutely driven to try and make things more transparent and easier to achieve for everyone. I want to spread the word about all the good stuff that happens out there with fishermen, sourcing and buying.

“At RockFish we work with fishermen and our suppliers daily and we really care about understanding the issues and doing something positive whilst keeping the menu and experience at the restaurant exciting and accessible. We’re really honoured to be nominated.”

Paul Williams, CEO at competition organisers Seafish, said: “The Good Catch Award is a staple in the National Fish & Chip Awards as we look not only to award those with the greatest tasting fish and chips but also those who work hard to source ethically and responsibly.

“We want to recognise the people who actively maintain and support sustainable fishing practices so future generations can enjoy one of Britain’s staple dishes.”

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the awards, promising to make the final event even more special and the various award titles more coveted.