The takeover, which took place on the 26th March 2024 at HRC, featured cooking demonstrations from Simon Hulstone from Michelin-starred The Elephant and Young National Chef of the Year winner (YNCOTY) Sam Dixon from Northcote to demonstrate how seafood from Norway can be incorporated into modern UK dining menus. 

Both Sam and Simon cooked with Norwegian white fish Skrei – a seasonal cod exclusively from Norway that is a prized culinary feature for many seafood loving chefs around this time of year. Known for its firm meat and fresh flavour, Skrei is only available between January and April each year.  

The chef demos were complimented by two sharing sessions covering pertinent topics in the seafood and hospitality industry. The first, which featured Mike Warner of A Passion for Seafood Ltd and Victoria Braathen, UK director Norwegian Seafood Council, highlighted Norway and the UK’s seafood partnership, sustainable management of fisheries and the importance of consumer seafood education.

The second, which featured Michelin Restaurateur Michel Roux Jr, delved into the value of nurturing the next generation of culinary talent and the importance of responsibly sourced seafood within the hospitality sector. 

Reflecting on the Chef HQ takeover Michel said: “This has been a fantastic day, meeting with stakeholders across the industry. I really enjoy my long-term relationship with Norwegian seafood. As a chef, it is so important to work with great produce and you can’t really get much better than Norwegian seafood.

“I’ve been lucky enough to visit Norway, alongside the next generation of the UK’s leading chefs, experiencing first-hand how much quality and sustainability is valued by the country’s seafood industry. It was a pleasure to share insights on my journey cooking sustainable seafood and to connect with young, up and coming chefs in the industry at today's seafood takeover." 

A seafood canapé reception, curated by Simon Hulstone, rounded out the afternoon, showcasing a selection of Norwegian seafood brought by Norwegian seafood suppliers also in attendance at the takeover including Ava Ocean, the Fisker Prawn Co., Nordic Halibut and Norcod. 

Victoria Braathen, UK director of NSC, commented: “Coming together with some of the UK’s most esteemed and respected chefs and hospitality representatives at this year’s Chef HQ, to explore the value of quality, sustainable seafood from Norway, has been an absolute pleasure.

“We’ve been delighted to be joined by a number of seafood industry representatives and the meals and discussion sessions served as a testament to the close seafood bond between Norway and the UK and opportunities ahead.”