Burton Bradstock School visit Hive Beach Cafe (From Dorset Echo)

Burton Bradstock School visit Hive Beach Cafe

10:42am Monday 18th January 2010 in

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SOMETHING fishy was afoot when a class of pupils from Burton Bradstock spent a fun-packed morning at the Hive Beach Café.

They had been invited to the popular eaterie to take part in fun cooking events and fish themed activities aimed at showing them the importance of the fishing industry – and also giving them the chance to get their fingers wet!

Chefs from the café were on hand to teach the children how to de-beard mussels and identify an array of fish on display at the Café’s fish counter.

Local fisherman Paul Wickham from Davy’s Locker also brought along some live crabs and lobsters, which the children were able to see at close hand.

This fun event for the children from years three and four also highlighted the Hive’s commitment to sourcing ethically procured lobsters and scallops using sustainable fishing methods.

Along with completing word searches and colouring sheets, the children made fish-shaped scones to take home, although the allure of a warm scone fresh from the oven was almost too much for some of the participants who wanted to devour them almost immediately.

Café proprietor Steve Attrill said: “It was wonderful to host a class from Burton Bradstock School.

“We are committed to supporting the local community and teaching the children of the area about fish, fishing methods, different types etc is a great message.

“To do it in a fun, hands-on way helps them grasp the subject and makes it more memorable. The hot chocolate and cake helps too.”

Class teacher Nick Platt said: “We went down to the café for the morning and the children took part in a carousel of activities to show them what goes on locally and also how our fishermen make their living.

“The children spent time identifying fish on the café’s fish counter, debearding mussels with the chef and looking at lobsters and crabs. This caused quite a lot of squealing because the children hadn’t realised how large some of them get.”

Year Three pupil Poppy said: “Some of us were too scared to pick up the alive lobsters and crabs but most of us did.

Her friend Liberty added: “Paul helped us pick up live crabs and lobsters. Tim showed us how to tell if the mussels are alive or not.

“When their shell is open if you tap them on a table and their shells close they are alive but if they stay the same they are dead.”

The Hive cooking event is part of the partnership between the National Trust West Dorset team and Burton Bradstock School, which stems from the Trust’s Guardianship scheme.

Caroline Richards, NT visitor services manager for West Dorset said: “We have a great working relationship with the team at the Hive and look forward to doing lots more events with them in the future and celebrating local food through our Food Glorious Food campaign theme in 2010.

“The Trust is committed to developing opportunities for people of all ages to learn more about food, farming, fishing and how local food is produced.”