Fresh Fish Place makes a splash in Falkirk’s Callender Square

John Stephen of The Fresh Fish Place at his new premises in Callendar Square.

Run by couple John and Hazel Stephen from Peterhead the new shop in Callander Square is the couple’s second venture.

It comes on the back of rave reviews from regular customers of the Grangemouth outlet - which typically offers more than 50 different choices.

Both John and Hazel come from families steeped in the traditions of Peterhead’s fishing community, and their main supplier, John’s cousin George, provides fresh fish to the local shops every day from processing plants in Peterhead and Fraserburgh.

Besides offering a walk-in-and-buy facility for people within easy range of the Falkirk and Grangemouth shops the business also delivers to a long list of outlying towns and villages.

The couple launched their Grangemouth shop in late November 2017, taking over from a well-established concern whose owners were set for retiral, and after a year of continued success began to plan for a second outlet - one calculated to fill a gap in the market in Falkirk food retail.

John said: “Since taking over the business we have greatly increased the choice and aim to continue to do this.

“We also get great satisfaction from delivering special orders like live lobster, clams, oysters, whole Hake and other whole fish.”

Commenting on the first few days at the Falkirk shop, he said: “I’m humbled by the response from Falkirk people, and a massive thanks to everyone who has come to find out what we’re all about.

“We close Sunday and Monday, like any real fish shop - because we are all about offering fresh produce - but will reopen on Tuesday with at least 41 different choices”.

The Callander Square shop opened on Tuesday, and word soon spread that something noticeably different from any average fish shop had arrived in town.

A spokesman at the Grangemouth outlet said the couple were surprised and delighted by the instant response to their Falkirk venture.

On offer is a remarkably diverse array of fresh and frozen fish and other seafood, along with smoked fish, marinades and more.

Biggest sellers so far have been haddock, salmon, halibut and “hundreds” of fishcakes.