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A local fisherman has set up shop on Queen Street to sell local shellfish and lunch options.
Toby Greatbatch last week opened the doors to ‘Fruits de Mer’ on 33 Queen Street, next door to La Bastille.
It comes just three years after he set up ‘Greatcatch Seafood’ to sell locally sourced lobsters, sea bass, crabs and hand-caught scallops, all in plastic-free packaging.
At the time, with 11 years of experience behind him, Toby said he was shocked by the amount of plastics he regularly found on the seabed.
Pictured: Toby out scallop diving.
He therefore decided to “give back to the ocean” and be as sustainable as he could, a philosophy that has followed him in his new venture.
After being approached by the owners of the building, Toby decided he would not only sell his own catch at ‘Fruits de Mer’ but also that of other fishermen.
“The shop is extremely local based, my business has been from the start,” he said. “We have tried to support the fishermen, that’s what I have been trying to do from the start.
“I started in 2019 just before the pandemic. I set up as a fisherman wanting to do something different and fishing has been hard for the past couple of years.
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Pictured: Toby set up ‘Greatcatch Seafood’ in 2019.
“I started thinking about cooking it and selling it and the pandemic happened. I was diving, doing my own pots and buying catch off other fishermen. I was making myself a bit ill with that, the work load was just huge, I was rushing around trying to scallop dive, trying to do my lobster pots and provide the public with it.
“I have taken a bit of a step back now, I am still scallop diving but I am no longer lobster fishing. We will buying other fishermen’s catch and processing it all and selling it via the shop.”
In addition to fresh produce, Toby will be offering lunches options to customers, such as lobster mac and cheese, crab tacos and crab and avocado bagels.
“Well see if the fish mongering side works and if the lunches options work,” he said. “We’ve got to play with it and see how it works. It will fresh and local, although we will have a few non-local things like prawns and smoked salmon.
“The plan is to keep selling the crab and lobster supporting the local industry.”
Pictured: 'Fruits de Mer' is located next to La Bastille on Queen Street.
While the current climate might not feel like the right one to set up a new business, Toby believes now is “a good time” to open ‘Fruits de Mer’.
“We have got so many people into sea food during the pandemic because fishermen were crying out for support and the public answered,” he said.
“A lot more people are used to it now.
“Of course, we don’t know what is around the corner especially with the French and Brexit and not being able to land in France. It’s always better to have more support for local fishermen.”
Toby hopes the Parish will support the shop’s plans for expansion, which have been submitted to the Planning Department.
“We are developing the place what I have set up is kind of temporary,” he explained. “We are waiting for the plans to be approves and then we will start the proper building work. We will have some seating but I do not want to reveal details.
“We are hoping to have it done by the summer and we are ssking the Parish to support the business as we are trying to bring a bit of a life to King Street and Queen Street. That’s what fishermen did during the pandemic, they brought a lot of people together.”
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