Children explore the world of seafood with Fish City

A trail-blazing Belfast restaurant is casting its net to get schoolchildren hooked on fish. Multi-award winning Fish City is reeling in a new generation of fish lovers with Northern Ireland's first 'Kids' Club' in the industry - where the only catch is to educate kids about the health benefits of eating seafood.

The Ann Street restaurant and takeaway has been encouraging wide-eyed youngsters to learn more about our scaly friends in a unique partnership anchored with local schools. And it's not just a savvy initiative to get small bottoms on seats.

By teaching primary school pupils about the health benefits of fish and the importance of protecting our oceans and actively supporting seafood sustainability, they will begin to eat more fish.

As part of the initiative, children are taken to the nearby St George's Market to see the raw seafood and different species and to marvel at the different sizes of fish that's been brought to shore that day. They then return to the restaurant to watch a film about sustainability and the importance of protecting our oceans for future generations to come.

Visionary owners, John and Grainne Lavery, who opened the Belfast business in the summer of 2016, hope that the young visitors literally take the bait - and are won over by the long term nutritional benefits of fish.

"Research, and first-hand experience shows, children are not eating enough fish", explains John, who begins his day each morning at 6am creating their artisan fish batter from scratch.

Grainne adds: "We educate the children on all that we do, encouraging them to try the different species of sustainable seafood, and of course to have some fun while doing so. We tell them all about the species of fish we cook and provide in restaurant and ask them questions to get them engaged and understand the health and nutritional benefits of eating more seafood."

Teacher and vice principal, Rhonda Glasgow, took her P7 pupils from Spa Primary School, Ballynahinch, to Fish City earlier this year as part of a food and fishing project she was working on with the Farmington Trust in Oxford.

"We met Grainne at St George's Market and the children were able to handle the fish and hear from the fishmongers where they had been caught and how to cook them. The fishmongers were really helpful and knowledgeable," said Rhonda.

"Back at the restaurant classroom Grainne taught them all about sustainable fishing and had more examples of species of fish for them to explore. The children were so excited that the fish had been caught locally, in Ardglass. They soaked it all up and really loved the trip.

"Grainne made it so interesting for them and they ate every bit of their fish and chips! Her enthusiasm, knowledge of her business, and generosity is second to none. Our Fish City day was one of the year's highlights, and we definitely hope to return."

In a letter to thank Grainne and her staff, pupils Maia and Brooke wrote that they had seen "tons and tons of fish at the St George's Market" and "loved the fish at Fish City".

As well as the massively popular cod and chips, Fish City offer authentic smoked haddock chowder, cod tacos (already a big hit with kids), salt and chilli squid, smoked salmon blinis and even a retro-style prawn cocktail prepared with the finest fishtail prawns.

There's also low calorie options like Fisherman's Curry and paprika grilled hake and as members of Gluten Free Ireland, they serve up gluten free fish and chips on the last Wednesday of every month and gluten free options every day.

John and Grainne's own favourite is their cod supper, sourced from sustainable shoals, coated in a light batter from a secret recipe handed down from Grainne's parents, with mushy peas and tartar sauce.

John and Grainne have a cast-iron commitment to sourcing seafood from industry-recognised fisheries and farms that are responsibly managed.

"We recognise that it is our responsibility to reduce any negative impact we may produce upon the environment and raise the awareness to our staff, guests and communities so that they can help us achieve our goals for sustainability," explains John.

Caption: Mykela aged 9 years and Jason aged 11 years having fun at Award Winning Fish City Belfast's Kids Club. @fishcitybelfast