ELAINE LORYS, MASTER FISHMONGER

Elaine Lorys, Master Fishmonger. Welcome to Fish Focus spotlight on Women in Seafood, Issue 3. Follow us as we celebrate the amazing women at the forefront of the seafood industry.

I became a fishmonger quite by chance, having previously been a window dresser for House of Fraser. Store closures in the southwest meant looking for other work if I wanted to stay in Cornwall.

Mr Tony Stevenson was my landlord in Newlyn and had seen me walking through Newlyn one day, he asked where I was working and told me that he was opening a fish shop on Monday morning and I could open it if I liked, start 8 o’clock, just like that! I had no knowledge of fish at all, didn’t even eat fish, however I thought it would be ok for a summer job and decided to give it a go, that was 1996, I never looked back.

I absolutely loved doing the fish counter, every day different fish, different colours to display, the shop soon became very popular and Stevenson’s decided to make it bigger.

The boys that worked out the back in the packing shed and a chap called David Mitchell taught me to fillet and learn all the species. I started to cook and eat fish as well, which helped me talk to the customers and help them choose and sort out cooking methods.

As the only girl working with about 30 men, when it came to the first Christmas party I was asked to go with the office staff, as there were girls there too but I also got asked to the packing shed party so a win for me!

I met my partner David through working in Newlyn as he also worked in the fishing industry. Our daughter Lauren, born in 1999, came to work with me doing shows when she was 15. Helping me organise our stand at Royal Cornwall, where we won the best newcomer award. We did many shows together promoting fish, such as Padstow Christmas festival and Falmouth Oyster festival. Lauren learnt to fillet and was great with the customers, a great help to me – she is still passionate about all things fish!

In 2018 our MD at the time, Peter Aylott asked if wanted to try for the MFS Master Fishmonger Award, as it had never been awarded to a women. I wasn’t sure but said yes I’d apply. Sadly my mother passed away in December 2018, then in January 2019 I was accepted to take the tests and be evaluated for the award, just a few weeks after, which was a particularly difficult time, making me all the more determined to pass. I passed and became the first female master fishmonger, I was really delighted, receiving lovely messages of congratulations from friends, family, local people and my amazing customers.

I was invited to Fishmongers Hall, London, such a beautiful historic building to receive my award, then I had an invite to the Women of the Year Awards. I was extremely proud to get all this recognition, but I was getting it for doing the job I absolutely love.

I do fish filleting courses at the shop now, these are extremely popular with both men and women. I’ve seen many changes to the customers buying habits over the years, especially regarding sustainability and provenance of our products. We endeavour to supply them with all the up-to-date information they need. We are part of the Made in Cornwall scheme, which aims to promote Cornish products and the use of their gold stickers directs customers to the fish caught locally.

With the cost of living going up all the time, two years ago I introduced a £5 daily fish deal, where we would always have fish for four people for £5 every day – very popular with visitors and locals.

There are more and more woman getting involved in the fishing industry these days, which is fantastic. Although it’s a male dominated industry, I think there will be many more female fishmongers in the future. I’ve been helped and supported well by my colleagues all the way through my career and couldn’t have done any of it without our fisherman, shore staff, market and office staff and of course all the great people I’ve worked with in the shop and the men and women that I’ve trained in the trade.