With Simon Rhodes, of the Lobster Pot Fishmongers in Wood Street Food Hall

Last week I spoke about my apprentice, Jordan and his trip to Billingsgate.

After his return he was full of enthusiasm and I noticed that his confidence had grown not only with the handling of fish but also with the customers.

It is quite rewarding to see someone you have taken on, learning and enhancing their skills and moving forward in their employment It is also good as an employer to have the confidence in your staff too.

With Jordan’s newfound confidence he seems more comfortable and he certainly enjoys working with fish and customers.

Maybe that is the key to employment and life; to work hard, learn and obtain a sense of achievement no matter what you do. The advantages of taking on an apprentice is that you can teach them from scratch without inheriting their previous employment bad habits.

They are very keen to learn.

Here’s how Jordan got on... in his own words.

I arrived at Billingsgate on day one of my course and my first thought was how wonderful the view was. Based just by the Docklands, you could smell the fresh air and how busy the atmosphere was.

It wasn’t long before I became acquainted with the other fishmongers on the course and our tutor, Adam.

Throughout both days he enhanced my knowledge of fish and gave me confidence in my knife skills. The first day we concentrated on our knowledge of fish and on our filleting, gutting and skinning skills, which improved as the day went on.

Day two began with an early start at 5am. We headed into the market and immediately I could sense the atmosphere was buzzing. There was so much fish, all different varieties from around the world.

I found the different stalls fascinating – not your regular, every day, common fish. I discovered that the most commonly farmed fish sold at Billingsgate was the carp.

After a look around the market we then did some cooking. I cooked Dover sole, in olive oil, tomatoes, pine nuts and basil – baked on a high heat for about 12 minutes. It tasted absolutely gorgeous.

We then pan fried some plaice fillets in butter and oil, which I found simpler but equally as tasty.

The day was rounded off with questions for my City and Guilds coursework.

I found the two days exciting and thoroughly enjoyable. I would highly recommend the course to anyone interested in fish.

It was beneficial to me and I can now give Simon a run for his money when it comes to filleting!