It was a pleasure to meet with Lee Williams of The King’s Dish, a local fish filleters and smokehouse. David Hasthorpe, the Mayor of North East Lincolnshire, and I met with Lee to learn more about his ambitions to start a fish filleting training facility in an effort to tackle unemployment in the area and maintain those precious fish filleting skills.
Grimsby’s proud fishing traditions include filleting fish by hand, traditional skills passed down from previous generations. These skills run the risk of being eroded away as automation continues to become commonplace within the fishing industry.
There is demand in Grimsby and beyond for quality fish produce that’s locally sourced and people like Lee are passionate about meeting that demand. Places like The King’s Dish deliver their skills of smoking fish through traditional means.
Lee’s passion for keeping these skills alive, passing them down to new generations whilst tackling unemployment in the area was obvious to see. He spoke of the importance of hiring new staff in the industry, along with training and apprenticeships needed to equip people with the right skills. I'll be working closely with Lee to see if government funding can be secured to move Lee's plans to the next stage.
