From Shore to Door: Mitch Tonks and the New Wave of British Seafood

Words - Tajinder Hayer

For Mitch Tonks, the sea has always been more than a backdrop; it's a muse, a livelihood, a source of joy and purpose. Raised in Weston-super-Mare, Tonks recalls vivid childhood memories of brown shrimp and crab picked up with his grandmother from the local fishmonger. Those early sensory experiences set the tone for a life devoted to seafood, not simply as a chef, but as a visionary determined to shift the way Britain experiences what lies beyond its shores. "I grew up messing around on the water," Tonks says, with characteristic warmth. "Water skiing, fishing, swimming... I guess I just had a natural affinity."

It's an affinity that has become a full-blown mission. Today, Tonks is the founder and CEO of Rockfish, a collection of nine seafood restaurants on the South West coast, as well as an expansive online seafood market that delivers straight from the quay to kitchens across the UK. Add to that The Seahorse, his award-winning Dartmouth restaurant, seven cookbooks, and his role as a respected voice for sustainable fishing and British seafood, and it's clear that Tonks is a culinary force whose influence extends far beyond the pass.

But his route into food was anything but conventional. "I was in accounting and unsure of what I wanted to do," he explains. It was a copy of The Food Lover's Guide to Britain that changed everything, introducing him to a new generation of small-scale producers and artisans. Frustrated by the lack of high-quality fishmongers in Bath, where he was then living, Tonks opened his own. It was an immediate success. A restaurant above it followed, and soon he was cooking the seafood he'd sourced himself, drawing inspiration from Jane Grigson and Elizabeth David.

The rest, as they say, is history. Tonks scaled that single venture into Fishworks, a pioneering seafood restaurant group with a dozen locations, including ten in London. But in 2008, seeking a deeper connection with the sea and the source, he left the city behind to open The Seahorse in Dartmouth. "I cooked there for nearly 10 years," he says proudly. It was during this time that the idea for Rockfish was born. "In England, you either got seafood from a fish & chip shop or a very high-end restaurant. There was nothing in the middle. I wanted a place where you could have oysters and lobster next to fish and chips."

That middle space has become Tonks' territory. Rockfish isn’t just a chain of restaurants – it's a movement. Each location is built on the same principles: serve impeccably fresh, responsibly sourced fish, support the coastal communities that harvest it, and keep the experience unpretentious, joyful, and anchored in place. Every morning, seafood is delivered from Brixham quayside to the restaurants, which overlook the sea and shift their menus based on the day’s catch. Diners are encouraged to choose their fish first, then build a meal around it with seasonal sides.

"We just have this mission to change the way people eat seafood," Tonks says, matter-of-factly. It’s a mission that extends well beyond the plate. With the launch of the Rockfish online seafood market during the COVID lockdowns, Tonks turned disruption into innovation. "I was speaking to fishermen and they were still catching great seafood," he recalls. "We started contacting people one-to-one, which spread to social and email... We were overwhelmed by the interest."

What began with containers of fresh fish and cash payments quickly scaled into a sophisticated operation. "There are big screens, QR codes... all of it. It really evolved." For Tonks, the demand revealed something important: there was a hunger across the UK, far from the coast, for fresh, traceable, high-quality seafood. His online platform now delivers directly from boat to box, supplying households nationwide and reducing the reliance on exports.

"Our fisheries in the South – turbot, bass, scallops – they're some of the best in the world," he explains. "There’s no better coastline than Devon to Cornwall."

But as much as Tonks is committed to scale, he remains steadfastly focused on culture. "One of the most important things is setting a culture," he says. "As an owner, you have to set a tone for behaviour, and ensure your team buys into the same values." That commitment to shared purpose extends to the 600 people employed across his ventures. "A new restaurant can really kickstart regeneration in a small town. We want to provide great employment, and help these communities thrive."

When he talks about food, it’s with a reverence that feels both personal and democratic. He wants people to cook seafood at home, to barbecue it in the summer, to enjoy it simply. "Seafood is such a perfect match for outdoor cooking," he says, animated. "The smell of a piece of fish grilling slowly over coals... it's really evocative."

For those nervous about cooking fish at home, Tonks offers gentle encouragement and a foolproof tip. "Get your grill hot," he insists. "Then take monkfish, rub it with olive oil, salt, and fresh breadcrumbs. It gives a little protection and creates a crust when grilled. It's incredible."

His dream summer seafood BBQ? "Cold beer, buckets of wine... grilled squid with chilli sauce and salad, lobster basted in butter with rosemary and thyme on the fire, sardines charred and smoky."

Tonks has also become a trusted voice in sustainability. As an ambassador for the Marine Stewardship Council, he champions traceability, seasonality, and smart quotas. "This fishery is strongly controlled," he notes. "There are limits on days at sea, portion control... it's small, but progressive."

And as for what's next? Tonks smiles. "My ambition is to get people to enjoy seafood more, to experience it at its best." He hints at a Mediterranean sailing odyssey, part pleasure, part research. "I'll just eat seafood, and find new ways of cooking it."

If there's a philosophy that unites all of Tonks' work, it's one of simplicity. "Don't overcomplicate things. Keep it seasonal, fresh and simple, and you can’t really go wrong."

He says it like someone who's learned the hard way, someone who’s been in the back rooms and boardrooms, the boats and the book tours. And he says it like someone who still loves it all.

In a world of food trends, buzzwords, and performative sustainability, Mitch Tonks is the real thing: a chef-CEO who hasn’t lost sight of the smell of grilled squid, the joy of Devon waters, or the power of a really good piece of fish. And for anyone lucky enough to pull up a chair at Rockfish, that clarity of purpose is exactly what you taste.

Explore further at Rockfish.