Press release

Lussmanns restaurants in St Albans, Hertford and Harpenden in Hertfordshire have become the first small restaurant group outside London to serve MSC certified sustainable fish and shellfish. One of the first MSC menus item will be pan-fried MSC certified cod cheeks with garlic, chilli and lime, served with a dill and tarragon mayonnaise. The cod is sourced from sustainable fisheries around the coast of Norway and the North East Atlantic.

Protecting the seas by eating fish might seem counterintuitive, especially when so many fisheries are being overfished. But MSC certified fish comes from a sustainable source and many of the fishing boats in the programme have made further improvements to reduce discards and look after fish stocks for future generations. A recent survey showed that 60% of diners want restaurants to show they have sustainable options. By supporting MSC certified fishermen, Lussmanns’ diners are helping to protect fish stocks and ensure a healthy future for the oceans.

Andrei Lussmann, founder of Lussmanns, explained the move: “Eating fish sustainably is the only way - today and every day. We have great respect for the Marine Stewardship Council and our new partnership is an important part of our aim to make sustainable dining accessible to everyone. Running restaurants with an environmental bias is a modern day discipline that we ignore at our peril. The MSC’s advice and guidance will help us to continue combining an ethical and sustainable approach with a passionate commitment to providing first class food and service to every diner.”

George Clark, Commercial Manager for the MSC said: “Sometimes making a difference is hard, but sometimes it’s a real pleasure. Eating MSC certified fish at Lussmanns is definitely the most pleasant way to help promote sustainable fishing! It’s particularly great that Lussmanns are starting their MSC certified menu with cod, a fish that a lot of people think they have to avoid and yet there are now plentiful supplies available from healthy stocks in the northern Atlantic fisheries.”

More about Lussmans

• Giles Coren, food critic for The Times, described Lussmanns as ‘everything a modern local restaurant should be’ and rated them 8/10.
• Lussmans has been recommended by The Good Food Guide since 2010.
• Lussmans are founder members of the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA), SRA Three Star Sustainability Champions and won UK Sustainable Small Restaurant Group of the Year at the SRA Awards 2014.
• They are rated as one of the UK’s top restaurants by Fish2Fork, the campaigning restaurant guide for people who want to eat fish – sustainably.
• In 2011 and 2012, Lussmans won the Independent Restaurant category of the RSPCA Good Business Awards.
• The restaurants are in St Albans, Hertford and Harpenden, Hertfordshire.
• For more information, including supplier details, please visit the Lussmanns website