With such a pedigree, it’s little wonder that fish farmer Alistair Barge was yesterday named Britain’s Food Champion of the Year.
Barge, owner of family-run Gigha Halibut – the only halibut fish farm in Scotland – received the prestigious title at the 2009 Country Living and Waitrose Made in Britain Awards.
The awards celebrate British producers, farmers and growers making “the heritage foods of tomorrow”.
Gigha was subject to a community buy-out in 2002, and the halibut farm, powered by a community-owned wind farm, is one of the island’s greatest success stories.
Barge was also awarded £10,000 and, although not an automatic part of the prize, an exclusive contract to supply fish counters in 75 Waitrose stores across the UK. The new Glasgow Waitrose, which opens in November, will become his 76th outlet.
The major contract will increase production by half a tonne, or 250 fish, a week. The farm currently produces around 1100 fish weekly, and supplies top restaurants in Scotland, London, Boston, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. These include the Per Se in New York, the Gordon Ramsay empire in London, Martin Wishart in Leith and Crabshakk in Glasgow.
Halibut is the largest flat fish to be commercially farmed. Known as a meat-eater’s fish because of its firm texture, it is notoriously difficult to farm and takes four years to reach maturity.
“The first six months of a halibut’s life are precarious because their eggs and larvae are so tiny, and their growth rate so slow, compared with other species,” said Barge, who was born in Rhu near Helensburgh.
“Unlike salmon and trout, halibut needs a salt-water environment which takes a lot of skill to regulate compared with fresh water.”
Barge, who has been fish farming for 30 years, diversified into halibut farming in the 1990s because of the difficulty competing with the large salmon producers. His is now one of just two halibut farms in Britain, and his product accounts for 80% of all halibut produced.
Other Scottish companies short-listed were Cairngorm Smokehouse in Kingussie, which produces Highland smoked trout paté, and Lanarkshire-based Simple Simon’s Perfect Pies, maker of hand-made pies, from traditional steak to chicken curry.
Richard Hodgson, Waitrose’s commercial director, said: “The innovation and dedication shown by this year’s finalists proves that small Scottish producers are major players in the British food arena.”
Despite the fanfare, Barge insists he is happy to remain a small producer. His fresh Isle of Gigha halibut will only be available at Waitrose fish counters on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays because there is only one delivery from the island each week.
Barge said: “We are a niche market, and that’s where we’re happy to remain.”
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