Hannah has only been working in the world of fish for five years, but her business – The Felixstowe Fish Monger – has already grown in size five times over. ‘My brother bought a fishmongers and asked if I wanted to sell fish; before that we ran a fruit and veg shop,’ she says. ‘That was five years ago and we’ve been growing ever since. We’re a family-run business that’s gone from employing two people to ten in that time, and it is word of mouth that’s helped us grow so quickly, particularly in the last six months.

‘I liked going to Billingsgate for the first few years but the novelty wears off when you have to wake up at midnight every day to get there!’ adds Hannah. ‘I tend to use one guy in London and ninety percent of his fish comes from day boats, and the quality can’t be beaten. I also get quite a bit of fish locally in Felixstowe and some from Grimsby to keep up with demand.’

Despite the boom in business for Hannah and her brother, they know it’s important to be able to work with chefs on a personal level. Rather than putting in orders through larger systems and relying on numbers, Hannah ensures she’s always on-hand to speak with chefs directly. ‘Because we’re quite small chefs can just call me on my mobile at any time of day – I’m usually awake at midnight then don’t go to sleep until eight in the evening,’ she explains. ‘Milan isn’t just a number on a shipping route with us – he’s an actual person we know.’

As a nation, the UK eats far more cod, haddock, salmon, tuna and prawns than any other fish or seafood. These five species still account for the majority of sales in the shops, but when we eat out we’re becoming more and more adventurous and willing to try something new. ‘The locals used to only order things like sea bass and cod and I had to almost educate them about what other fish they could eat,’ says Milan. ‘Nowadays monkfish is always a good seller, and flatfish like lemon sole and plaice are popular too. They even like swordfish or whole mackerel and bream, so the variety of fish I can work with is definitely getting better.’

This is good news for chefs, as it allows them to be more creative, but also for the fishmonger, as they can sell a wider range of fish when it’s in season. This means better quality produce and a more sustainable supply chain, and when there’s an abundance of a certain species Hannah can call up the chefs she works with and offer it to them for a low price.

‘I think it’s vital to move with the seasons – although I know of one pub that’s had lemon sole on its specials board for two years now!’ she says. ‘But you have to evolve and use what’s available if you want the best. This means we have to work with the chefs, letting them know what there’s going to be a surplus so they can change their menu. This is why building up a working relationship is so important, as we need chefs to buy certain fish and chefs need us to source certain fish.’