From Kitchen Sink to Kitchen Success

Kurtis Green developed a love of food after enrolling on a cheffing course at college when he was just 15. A key lesson he learned during his time there was whilst working in the college kitchen. It would open up at a weekend allowing customers to pay what they thought a dish was worth. “It pushed us as chefs to deliver the best - quality, presentation and taste,” says Kurtis. “It was an amazing way to learn.”

Working in restaurants around King’s Lynn as part of an apprenticeship, Kurtis took on a role as a chef in the kitchen of a residential care home. “It was a stressful job, juggling multiple roles, but food was always my passion,” he says.

For Kurtis, food wasn’t just a career - it was part of his upbringing. His parents have owned Tropics Fish & Chips in Dersingham, King's Lynn, Norfolk, for 35 years, and Kurtis practically grew up in the shop. “I’ve been told I was found in the sink with the fish as a baby!” he laughs. “I’ve worked alongside my dad since I was 18. Even when I had the job at the care home, I still worked at the shop. It has always been a huge part of my life.”

Today, Tropics Fish & Chips serves a broad menu, from fish and chips to pizzas and kebabs. However, as competition in the village has grown, Kurtis has concentrated on what he knows best - quality fish and chips. “I’ve always focussed on quality, doing the best you can with what you've got whilst maintaining and keeping the high standards.”

Kurtis’s desire for more independence led to the launch of Tropics 2 - a mobile fish and chip business - 13 years ago. “I didn’t want to be static in one place. Plus my dad, who is 81, still works in the shop and he’s very old-fashioned in his ways. I’ve tried to move him into the 21st century, but it’s hard. The range, for example, is 22 years old. It’s just not fast enough paced for me, so I decided to go on my own.”

With Kurtis at the wheel, Tropics 2 operates three weekly village runs and caters to private bookings, parties and festivals. It features a slimmed-down version of the shop menu, concentrating on cod, haddock plaice, fishcakes, sausages, burgers and chicken.

“It’s a different pace, but incredibly rewarding,” says Kurtis. “People often say the food tastes even better from the van. That’s because we fry hotter and faster, which seals all the flavour inside the batter.”

One thing Kurtis and his dad can agree on is that the quality of their ingredients is paramount, which is why they both buy from Ceres. Kurtis comments: “I’ve tried nearly every batter mix on the market, but nothing compares to Ceres. I started with the Ceres Natural Batter Mix, then moved to the Traditional Batter, which has that extra lift and flavour I was looking for. The consistency is unbeatable, it’s the same quality and the same flavour all year round.”

The convenience of the 1.25kg bags is another plus. “We mix fresh for every fry, so the batter is always at its best. It doesn’t sit around and go flat like in some shops. It means we’ve always got the lift and the crispiness. It holds up well in the hot box and people just love it.”

Ceres products don’t stop at batter. Kurtis also swears by its Curry Sauce Mix and Mushy Peas Seasoning. “The Curry Sauce has a fantastic flavour and is the only gluten free curry sauce I’ve found on the market, which is a big deal for many customers,” explains Kurtis.

“And the Mushy Peas Seasoning takes all the hassle out of preparation while ensuring the same flavour every single time. There are no artificial colourings or flavourings in there either, which is important to me as I have a lot of customers with dietary requirements and we need to cater for them.”

Another product that Tropics has come to rely on - even more so now with the price of fish increasing - is Ceres Fishcake Mix. Kurtis explains: “We're trying to cut our fish accurately every time so we can give a consistent portion, but what trimmings are generated we make a batch of fishcakes using the Ceres Fishcake Mix.”

Selling at £2.50 against £2.20 for a bought-in version, it’s not a huge price difference to the customer but to Kurtis it’s almost all profit (see fishcake calculator). “There’s a lot of pressure on businesses like us right now, so these things massively help,” he says.

“Rather than chucking off-cuts in the bin, we are minimising food waste and maximising profits. And we’re doing it without mixing seasonings, weighing everything out, mashing potatoes, and trying to get the consistency every time. We just open a bag of Ceres Fishcake Mix, mix it with milk and our fish, and we're done.”

Kurtis’s commitment to quality has earned Tropics 2 much recognition, including making Fry Magazine’s 10 Best Fish & Chip Mobile Operators awards three years in a row. “We even had a 9.7/10 review from Matt at Food Review Club, who said our fish was the best he’d ever seen.”

Praising the service he receives from Ceres, particularly the support from managing director Stelios, Kurtis adds: “Stelios is always available to help. He hates problems so if there’s ever an issue, he sorts it straight away. For example, we had some curry sauce bags arrive unsealed, and he immediately called his packaging suppliers, sent compensation boxes, and ensured it didn’t happen again."

The personal touch doesn’t go unnoticed either with Stelios and the team often including a freebie or samples of new products in with orders. “It’s a great way to keep up with what’s new and what’s out there,” he says. “And, if an item is out of stock, Stelios will call and say, ‘we're out of stock of whatever at the moment, it’s due in two days, I'll get it out to you the day it comes in’. Or he will replace the product with something else until it's available."

Listen to the Ceres Podcast for expert discussions on market trends, challenges, and business strategies within the fish and chip industry.

It’s not just the service, value for money, or the wide range of products available from Ceres that matter to Kurtis. “For me, it’s all about quality. I’d rather pay a little more for a better product because it betters my product. With Ceres, I know I’m getting a consistently high quality product - one I’m proud to put my name to.”