Frying high with Hollie Hutton
Despite being served in the UK for over 160 years, it’s not easy to create the perfect fish and chips. Training, knowledge and experience all feed into crafting a tasty plate of the iconic British dish.
One person who has honed their fish frying abilities is Hollie Hutton. Located in Idle, Bradford in West Yorkshire, you’ll find Hollie working as part of a team at the award-winning fish and chip shop, Towngate Fisheries.
Five years ago, Hollie started a part time job at Towngate Fisheries aged 16, while studying A-levels at school. In the summer of 2020, Hollie was due to take her A-level exams. But due to the Covid pandemic Hollie couldn’t complete her exams and was awarded grades by teacher assessment. At this point, Hollie decided not to go to university and kept working at the fish and chip shop.
Mark Drummond, the owner of Towngate Fisheries, saw her potential, so encouraged Hollie to take the next step in her career and pointed her towards the opportunities available with a Level 3 apprenticeship. Hollie felt that the apprenticeship, combined with the support of the chip shop, would help her to understand her new job role as a fish frier. It would also be a positive step towards a long-term future of a career in hospitality.
Having an apprentice work in the business has helped to develop staff training systems. Now that Hollie has successfully completed her apprenticeship, we hope that she will continue to work at Towngate Fisheries for many years to come. Whilst studying, Hollie was already earning above the national minimum wage and she's been rewarded with another pay rise. It gives us something to promote on our social media and helps show we are a professional business with high standards.
Initially due to Covid-19, the Level 3 Senior Production Chef apprenticeship was delivered remotely with regular sessions via Zoom. However, thanks to the easing of restrictions in 2022, Hollie was able to showcase her skills in person to her tutor, as well as learn valuable techniques, for example how to fillet whole fish, something she wouldn’t have encountered without the help of her apprenticeship.
Hollie feels positive about the experience, with the apprenticeship supporting her development in many ways including:
• Being more mature and confident in her job role;
• Improving her ability to be a team leader and to train others in their role;
• Learning new skills relevant to her job;
• Asking the right questions to acquire more knowledge about her job role.
From the age of 16 I have been working my way up within the shop. I've progressed from the role of counter staff to now preparing food, frying independently and being in charge of the business when Mark and Joanne (manager at Towngate Fisheries) are away. My goals for the future include gaining more experience in the fish and chip industry and hopefully one day owning a shop of my own. With great mentors like Mark and Joanne, I believe this is more than achievable in the future.
Further information
For further information and advice on fish frying apprenticeships, please email our Onshore Training team, email onshore@seafish.co.uk
For information and details of your nearest apprenticeship provider, please visit our Seafood business apprenticeships webpage.