Booths Fishmonger Academy

After a successful launch of our Butcher Training Academy, our Craft and Skill Manager, Colin Porter and his team of Operational Trainers, Mark, David and KJ, identified the Fishmongers as an area where colleagues could gain valuable knowledge to develop their professional skillset and improve customer experience in store.

Similar to butchery, there are many skills to learn when it comes to being a Fishmonger, from preparing the fish correctly, to displaying it in store and learning what fish is well sought after in each season of the year.

What’s involved?

The training programme is open to colleagues across all of our 25 stores, providing them with the opportunity to progress in their career development. Once the colleagues have been selected, the trainees take part in a 20 week course, alongside their day-to-day roles in store, to learn the ins and outs of being a Fishmonger.

Split into 6 specialist learning sets, the trainees learn various practical and theoretical skills, being assessed on how they put them into practice on the counters.

The 6 learning sets include:

1. Commercial Thinking
2. Ordering
3. Display
4. Warm Northern Welcome
5. Thinking Like a Chef
6. Ambassador In Action

During the course, trainees also get to work closely with suppliers, going on specialist days out to see our producers in action or working with them in online sessions to learn more about where our fish comes from.

Gary Apps, Director at My Fish Company said,

We are delighted to support Booths in their commitment to excellence through our dedicated fishmonger training days. At My Fish Company, we know that great seafood deserves great skill. By training individuals in traditional fishmonger techniques, we are helping to provide Booths customers with a truly expert level of service. It is a privilege to see these trainees master their craft, ensuring that the counters at Booths remain a destination for quality, expertise, and passion.

After their final assessment, trainees graduate with a wealth of knowledge so they can feel confident in providing a first-class service to you at the counter, from utilising their commercial thinking skills to give you advice about what’s in season to thinking like a chef and offering recipe recommendations and cooking tips for all your favourite fish dishes!

Hear from the team

Jack Hewitt, Fish Academy Graduate, Burscough

I have a passion for learning new skills and applying myself to new challenges. I’m definitely a foodie person so having the opportunity to learn more about fish and the amazing meals that can be created has been one of my favourite experiences as I wouldn’t normally go for fish but since being on the academy that has 100% changed.