On the first week of December, 200 secondary schools across the country received fresh rope-grown mussels from Offshore Shellfish Company, in South Devon. We were lucky enough to be one of the 200, and were gifted a whopping 60 kilograms of mussels! 

Ms Campbell and her beloved mussels! 

Canons High School is involved with the Fish Heroes scheme, a programme which aims to ensure that every child gets the chance to prepare, cook and eat fish before they leave school. Other learning includes fish types and species, sustainability, heathy eating and nutrition, international cuisines, and careers in the industry.   This programme has been immensely successful so far, resulting in nearly 70% of pupils wanting to cook and eat more fish in the future! 

Over the course of a few days, out Year 11s, Year 10s and Year 9s were given the fantastic opportunity to cook and eat some mussels! The lessons began with Ms Campbell explaining the sustainability of mussels. With the worlds ever-increasing population, new sustainable ways are needed to keep up with the demand. 

They capture and trap carbon as their shells grow through a process known as biomineralization. Not only is this great for marine ecosystems, but when compared to other sources of protein, their carbon footprint is negligible.

Our students were given the recipes for Thai Style Mussels paired with a stack of handmade flatbreads. Here are the recipes used! 

Our students were very interested in learning a new recipe, with some of them having never tried shellfish. Mussels are now considered one of the ultimate superfoods, being high in protein, low in calories and rich in vitamins and minerals. Perfect for our students' growing brains!

The flatbreads developed beautiful bubbles, and the finished product was truly restaurant worthy. Our students should be very proud.

Ms Yip and Ms Campbell pictured with our Year 9 Fish Heroes:
Dhyey, Ivan, Levi and Kevin from 9O!

After the school day had ended, our staff were invited to follow the same recipe. Many of our teachers joined the after school session, putting on their aprons, taking off any jewellery, and tying hair back, just as any student would.

Some of our students joined the staff to cook together!

Each teacher who attended was full of praises, having thoroughly enjoyed the session. Stating how easy but delicious the recipe was. The mussels were a true success at Canons High School, with our students buzzing about having cooked something completely new. We look forward to next time, where we will be introducing mackerel, as Caribbean Escovitch Fish!

Thank you to Ms Campbell for all of her hard work with The Fish Heroes programme, and continuing to broaden our students' palates!