A PARKSTONE fishmonger has been named the best fish business in the county.

Parkstone Fisheries in Bournemouth Road won the fish category at the Local Local Trust Local Awards on September 3.

Owner of the store Steve Gillingham said it was the first time the shop had been nominated for such an award and he was surprised to have won.

Steve said: "We got nominated about three months and we just entered no expectation at all.

"We wanted to get our name out there and to get people to buy locally and just to identify the fact that we support local fishermen."

Attending the event with his wife, Tessa Gillingham, and his daughter, Gemma Gillingham, Steve shared 160 other Dorset businesses appeared on the night. 

Sat among a variety of different businesses, which included a jam company and an organic meat company, he said the evening made him feel proud to be a Dorset business.

He said: "We met other suppliers, other producers and our table had three awards on it which was nice. 

"You feel part of the community and hopefully it's good for business as well. The whole point of entering these things is to promote the business and reap the rewards later."

Working with fishermen from across Dorset and Hampshire, Steve and his team at Parkstone Fisheries work long hours to make sure to have the freshest product.

Meeting the fishermen as they come into shore, Steve said supplying locally has become incredibly important for business after an uptick in people wanting to buy local products. 

He said: "People want to buy from more independents as opposed to the bigger stores because the supermarkets have also closed their fish counters.

"Even when the shop shuts, you're talking to fishermen because they don't live on a nine-to-five basis. They fish when the weather allows and when the tides are right."

A 24/7 business, the whole team was unable to attend the event due to an early morning the next day to make sure the store was ready to open.