Catch at the Old Fishmarket in Weymouth, Dorset, is two years old.
It rather caught us out. We’ve been so busy juggling the thousand and one things it takes to keep a restaurant like Catch going, we almost forgot to celebrate getting here. But we have, and we’re very proud of what we’ve created down on the south coast. A unique sea to plate experience, whose menu and fortunes are tied to the local fleet and local artisan growers and producers.
We’re open five nights a week and three lunchtimes, serving tasting menus that change with the landings, championing local and regional ingredients. Moving to tasting menus only has allowed us to focus even more sharply on Dorset produce, as well as helping to reduce our carbon impact and food waste. It’s obviously been a commercial decision too, managing costs tightly ensures we can keep dining more affordable for local customers.
Right now, in late June, we’re revelling in precisely the seafood that Dorset is famous for. Fresh Portland crab and lobster pulled from the crevices and cliff edges along the Bill, wild sea bass, line-caught in the Race, and mackerel from just off Chesil Beach. Courgettes are flowering in our garden, peas, Isle of Wight tomatoes, New Forest strawberries. All on a menu which currently includes:
Portland crab dumpling, sesame, pickled ginger & crab broth
Sea bass tart, handpicked peas, mint & leaves
Barbequed lobster tail, Bromham Farm carrot & salsa verde
New Forest strawberry baba, crème fraiche, citrus & rum
We invite you find out more about our restaurant this month at www.catchattheoldfishmarket.com/newsletter
At Catch, Executive Chef Mike Naidoo and I set out to create something special. We’re measuring our progress not by what we’ve achieved, but by what we’ve learnt. So, what do we know now that we didn’t two years ago? Well, just about everything, but perhaps in particular:
Creating a menu that relies on whatever the inshore boats land, regardless of weather and tides, requires an incredibly flexible, inventive kitchen. Especially when a storm blows in and the boats can’t get out. But not knowing the next day’s menu is sort of the point.
Choosing the more sustainable path is never an easy option. Try providing heating and hot water for a Grade II listed building with an air source heat pump rather than a boiler.
Trading year-long in a costal location is almost impossible, especially in the current environment, but just opening seasonally offers nothing much extra to the local economy.
Best memory so far? The Michelin listing mattered. Good reviews still make us blush. But probably hosting David Attenborough and Silverback Films as they showcased our restaurant to demonstrate a real alternative to unsustainable, mechanised fishing meant the most. A total vindication of what we set out to do.
Greatest goal for the future? Exactly what we started with. A busy restaurant, supporting the Weymouth fleet, enjoyed by the local community and attracting new visitors to this wonderful town, respectful of our suppliers and respected by our peers.
