By George McIvor, chairman of The Master Chefs of Great Britain

The Master Chefs of Great Britain was formed in 1980 to provide a forum for the exchange of culinary ideas and to further the profession through training and the guidance of young chefs. In addition, the association seeks to promote all that is best about British cuisine and produce. We are delighted to be working with Country Range and providing information and recipes for their Eat the Season feature.

For more information on the association and the competitions and training opportunities we provide contact masterchefs@msn.com.

Mussels are part of the family of clams and molluscs that come from both saltwater and freshwater habitat although we tend to only eat saltwater mussels as freshwater mussels can pose a health risk.

Most of the mussels we eat are cultivated on ropes suspended from floating rafts in clean waters, think for example of the clear waters of the Scottish or Devon coasts. They feed naturally on plankton and research indicates that their cultivation may have an overall beneficial effect on the marine ecosystem.

Whilst mussels might not be everyone’s cup of tea, they are a valuable nutritional element to any diet.

Containing around 150 calories per 3-ounce serving, mussels can supply 20g of protein, almost 4g of heart-healthy unsaturated fats, 5.7 milligrams of iron as well as other vitamins and minerals.

  1.  Deliziose cozze Go Italian with this delicious starter featuring slow-poached cod with mussels and clams, squid ink pasta and Puttanesca dressing
  2. Spice it up Tamarind pulp and a healthy selection of spices and fresh tomatoes provide just the right amount of heat for this mussel recipe
  3. Soup-er Seafood Mussels add an extra dimension to this Guernsey Sea Bass fillet dish with Rocquette cider and seafood minestrone
  4. A classic Mussels are a must-have in this great recipe for shellfish linguine
  5. Feeling fruity This rillete of Loch Duart Salmon pairs crisp smoked mussels with red pepper, Charentais melon and Granny Smith apple

Recipes supplied by:
1. Sheffield College
2. Alun Sperring
3. Tony Leck
4. Essential Cusine
5. David Mutter

All recipes can be found here – https://stiritupmagazine.co.uk/recipes/