A CELEBRATED chef has passed on his skills to trainee chefs at masterclasses at Grŵp Llandrillo Menai campuses as part of the national ‘Seafood Week’ campaign.

Ady Delaney is a teacher, chef, writer and nutritionist and is a prominent figure in the north west, and is a chef ambassador for Seafish UK.

He held demonstrations at Rhos-on-Sea (Coleg Llandrillo), Bangor (Coleg Menai) and Dolgellau (Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor) campuses, utilising local Welsh plaice, bass and mussels. Seafish UK is the government backed body which promotes seafood.

Ady treated more than 50 of the college group’s hospitality and catering students to inspirational fish masterclasses, showing off the delights of fresh, Welsh seafood while also educating them about the health benefits of eating fish and shellfish.

As well as demonstrating how to prepare many varieties of fish and shellfish, Ady also gave the students a chance to put their new culinary skills into practice. The interactive classes saw students replicate all the dishes that Ady had prepared earlier, and they were also given tips on what to look for when tasting.

Dishes prepared included Thai curry, whole seabass and fennel, and mussels with cider and creme fraiche. He explained a range of different ways of cooking fish: from baking, through grilling, to pan frying. The student chefs were also taught fish filleting skills.

He spoke to the students about the responsible fishing scheme, which explains how looking after future fish stock is crucial to the survival of the fishing industry and the many people it employs within the catering industry.

Ady Delaney said: “The students today have been excellent across all areas. They have all had a go at creating a variety of fish dishes, and I was delighted to see such skills and enthusiasm.”

One of the students involved, 17 year old Jay Rees from Colwyn Bay, said: “Today’s masterclass by Ady was fantastic. We learned a lot about all the different fishes available off the Welsh coast, and the importance of correct preparation and cooking. This will be invaluable in our future careers.”

Brian Hansen, tutor in hospitality and catering at Coleg Llandrillo, said: “We were particularly pleased to have Ady Delaney present fish masterclasses to our students. This was a great opportunity for the students to learn from an expert in his field."

Ady has run his own food and nutrition consultancy for over ten years – working on projects with nursery school groups and other educational campaigns around seafood sustainability and basic cookery skills. Ady has also worked as a chef at major events such as the Commonwealth Games, the Olympic Games and the Chelsea Flower Show.