Calum Richardson opened award-winning The Bay Fish & Chips in Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire in 2006. With a focus on sustainability, chef Calum is passionate about the environment; proudly putting sustainable, locally sourced fish and chips at the top of his menu.
“We’re fortunate to be right on the seafront, and when you run a business which relies on produce straight from the sea it makes you very aware of your surroundings. We have a trusted reputation for leading the way on this, as recognised by winning the Sustainable Business Award at the Cateys”.
Calum sells the freshest seasonal and most sustainable MSC-certified produce. “We proudly source 90% of our menu from within 50 miles of the shop; only serve fish from Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) accredited stocks – we were the first fish and chip shop in the UK to gain the MSC Chain of Custody to sell North Sea haddock and cod – and customers love that we offer a fish-based menu which shines a light on the fantastic local produce we have available to us; when it’s in season.
Calum’s success with The Bay has resulted in many award wins, over 90 in fact. “Our awards include Fish & Chip Shop of the Year and Young Frier of the Year – which is particularly special as it shows where the journey started, truly cementing that there was a future in this industry for me”.
Calum has known and worked with Middleton Foods for many years. “I knew the late Peter Hill for a long time; he’d often pop into the shop – never after my business – to see how everything was going. That’s the thing about Middleton Foods, they’ve no hidden agenda; they’re truly there for the industry. Nurturing new talent, supporting the trade and genuinely interested in seeing shops and people succeed. I’m delighted to judge The Peter Hill Award, which Middleton Foods launched in memory of Peter. It’s a fitting tribute for a wonderful man; a man I considered a great friend. I know he’d love everything the Award stands for, which is credit to Middleton’s”.
Middleton Foods supply Calum with a range of batters and sauces. “I have numerous products from Middleton’s, including bespoke batter, bespoke gluten free batter and bespoke curry sauce. I also order gluten free curry sauce and gluten free gravy. I operate The Bay on the Road too – mobile event catering – which is exclusively gluten free. We wanted our gluten free batter to mirror our ‘normal’ batter, and tasked Middleton’s with developing a bespoke mix for us. Colin Cromar made the process simple and extremely efficient, and the result is a superb quality batter that we and our customers love”.
Calum’s final word? “Middleton Foods are the very best to work with. They’re genuinely passionate about the industry and are huge supporters of industry events. As a committed headline sponsor of National Fish & Chip Day – which puts our fantastic industry in the spotlight – they really get involved and fly the flag for our industry, and for that I thank them.”
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