Bramwell's Fish using 150 years of experience to catch next generation of NLTG Apprentices

Long-serving Accrington fish merchant Bramwells have teamed up with local training provider North Lancs Training Group CIC (NLTG) to help inspire the next generation of young chefs.

Aspiring hospitality students from NLTG recently visited the Bramwells market stall in Accrington town centre, where co-owner Steve Bramwell showcased the fantastic range of fish on offer, as well as educating the young chefs about preparing and cooking with fish.

NLTG will be running a live cooking demonstration at the 2025 #AmazingAccrington Food Festival where they are one of the main sponsors, cooking with monkfish, which provided Steve with the perfect opportunity to show the on-looking students how to prepare a monkfish.

Steve also provided some interesting facts about the monkfish including its nickname of the anglerfish, as well as explaining how it gets from Peterhead to Accrington in less than 24 hours after coming out of the water.

The captivated NLTG students used the opportunity to increase their knowledge base on fish, discovering which are the most popular, as well as which are the hardest fish to fillet, plus much more.

There was even time for NLTG Hospitality Tutor, Jason Slater, to pre-book some monkfish to be used in a special chef masterclass at the training providers’ Old Bakery site in Accrington a few days later.

With the history of E Bramwell and Son having been traced back to 1876, it means the fifth-generation family business will be celebrating its 150th anniversary next year.

With current generation of fish merchants, John and Steve Bramwell, continuing to take the company from strength to strength, they have now been invited to join NLTG in the main cooking demonstration area at the 2025 #AmazingAccrington Food Festival on Saturday 7th June.

Jason Slater, hospitality tutor at NLTG, said: “We had a fantastic time visiting Bramwells, it was a very knowledgeable and rewarding experience for our students.

“Steve was brilliant in demonstrating how to prepare the fish, as well as answering all our questions which we thoroughly enjoyed, and we can’t wait to showcase everything we learned on the main stage at the Accrington Food Festival.”

Steve Bramwell, co-owner of Bramwells, said: “It was great to have Jase and the students from NLTG visiting us in Accrington town centre.

“They were already very knowledgeable, but they also asked some really insightful questions, and I wish them all the best for the future.”

You can learn more about NLTG and their Apprenticeships, Study Programmes, Traineeships, Commercial Short Courses and Courses for Job Seekers by visiting www.nltg.co.uk or by calling 01254 395 355.