Students from King's Lynn Academy, Springwood Academy and Downham Market Academy have boosted their seafood knowledge at an education day at the College of West Anglia on Thursday.

The event was part of Seafood Week, a national celebration of seafood and a chance for the public to eat more seafood, more often.

Local GCSE students watched demonstrations of how to prepare a variety of fish and shellfish from former Billingsgate Market blockman Ronnie Peacham. The students got hands on and were taught to fillet mackerel.

Pupils also tasted a range of seafood including monkfish, sole, bream, gurnard and crab.

The event had a focus on zero waste, with any unused fish to be cooked in the College of West Anglia working restaurant and college kitchen.

Hospitality Course Director at the College of West Anglia King's Lynn Campus Jonathan Boyall said the day had been eye-opening for students and may inspire a career in catering.

He said: 'These workshops have given local GCSE students the opportunity to learn new, industry-standard techniques. To have someone as highly skilled as Ronnie teaching them is brilliant, as he's able to share methods that come with years of experience.

'Seeing young people getting stuck-in and, in some cases, stepping outside of their comfort zones is such a positive thing.'

Heather Middleton, Marketing Manager at Seafish, the organisation behind Seafood Week, said: 'Part of the Seafood Week campaign focuses on educating future generations about the benefits of fish and seafood.

'By engaging with future chefs and teaching them how to prepare seafood, our hope is that they will develop a lifelong passion for producing seafood dishes.'